Congressman Jeffries sits on the wings of the stage, listening intently. Changemakers are at the podium speaking to their captive audience, and 2000 community members fill the Brooklyn Tech auditorium, energized by the moment.

STEM From Dance is on deck.

That’s how an unforgettable moment for our girls started. STEM From Dance was invited to celebrate Congressman Hakeem Jeffries’ inauguration as the Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives. This is a historic win, as Jeffries is the first Black lawmaker to lead a party in congress. Before his win, Jeffries represented New York’s 8th Congressional District, encompassing neighborhoods like East New York, Brownsville, and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Neighborhoods where STEM From Dance has its roots and continues to serve.

As the Mayor, Governor, and congress members settled into their seats, our students made their way to center stage outfitted in LED-lined jackets, coded to light up in different colors and effects throughout their performance. They danced to Jon Baptiste’s Freedom and lit up the stage.

What an opportunity. Our girls got to showcase their coding and dance talents, hear from the changemakers in their own community, and be a part of something much bigger than them. It’s moments like these that confirm the importance of this work. Our girls need to be in spaces where people that look like them are making changes they can see and feel today because, in the words of Jon Baptiste, “I don’t know why but [it] feels like freedom.”