4 Da Hood LLC

06/11/2026

What does it mean to lead with curiosity, connection, and care?

At our recent DLA Education Committee session, community members came together for meaningful conversations about leadership, belonging, and building stronger relationships through intentional dialogue.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing key takeaways, reflection prompts, and insights from facilitator Frank Velásquez Jr., Founder of 4 Da Hood LLC to help continue the conversation beyond the room.

Whether you're looking to grow as a leader, expand your network, or engage in thoughtful discussions about diversity, equity, inclusion, and community, DLA's Coffee Chats create space for learning, reflection, and connection.

📅 Save the date! Our next Coffee Chat will take place on June 11. Time and location details will be announced soon, but you can expect another opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue and practice these ideas together.

☕ What is one question you've asked recently that helped you better understand someone else's perspective?

06/11/2026

🚀 Exciting news! Frank Velásquez Jr. with 4 Da Hood LLC is bringing his powerful session on curiosity and courageous conversations to STEP UP 2025! Don’t miss this chance to learn, connect, and move equity forward. With two keynotes and 15 workshops, bring a friend to cover it all!

📅 Register & learn more: https://leadershipsc.org/stepup2025

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06/11/2026

🥁Now presenting: the first graduating cohort of the AzFBN Community Advisory Council! 👏👏👏👏

Data alone cannot tell us what food insecurity feels like, how it weighs on individuals, disrupts routines, and shapes dignity.

💡That’s why centering lived experience is essential. When people closest to the problem are also closest to the solution, we can better design systems that reflect real needs, values, and priorities.

This council of 9 individuals, compensated equitably for their time and energy, emerged from a group of about 30 other Arizonans who participated in AzFBN's listening sessions back in 2025.

These sessions culminated in a comprehensive report about current lived experience of food insecurity in Arizona, which has been shared with AzFBN's member food banks and partners. The listening sessions were designed to surface the emotional, logistical, and systemic experiences that don’t often show up in traditional data.

🍊Likewise, the leaders that emerged for the Community Advisory Council will guide AzFBN's advocacy efforts to illuminate the unseen gaps and strengths in our emergency food system. Through their convening, they will co-create a curriculum to empower more people with lived experience, including trainings and workshops to equip them as agile advocates.

Together, through understanding and empowerment, we will create a . ✊

Special thanks to 4 Da Hood LLC and Pink Trumpet LLC for facilitating this heartfelt work.

03/29/2024

Join our founder, Frank Velásquez Jr., as he presents a new session titled: Leading Through The Intersections. It will be a journey into the heart of intersectionality, showing how our mix of identities – like race, gender, and background – shapes the way we see and interact with the world. It's about first getting real with ourselves, recognizing our own stories and biases, and learning how to create spaces where everyone feels empowered to be their authentic selves. Frank will help attendees do a bit of self-exploration so that we can tackle the tough stuff together. We will discover ways to step back and step up. Join us as we shake up the white space and make it an equitable space where the global majority can lead with authenticity, courage, and joy!

2024-04-26

02/22/2024

Our Founder, Frank Velásquez Jr. , will be on this amazing panel! Register now for this March 13 event! It promises to be engaging, enlightening, and empowering!

02/22/2024

It's a BIG day 🎉 The 2023 Ethical Storytelling Report is here!

We conducted our first survey & gathered inquires from the sector about ethical storytelling, trauma-informed language, privacy & consent. Then, we asked some of the 🌟 greatest changemakers 🌟 in the space to weigh in.

The results will blow. your. mind. 🤯

Get your FREE copy today: https://www.memoryfox.io/ethical-storytelling/

Special shoutout to everyone who contributed their strategies, suggestions and first-hand experiences. WE APPRECIATE YOU!

HeartSpark Design, Maria Bryan Creative, T Clay Buck, Philanthropy without Borders, From Scratch Fundraising, Supporting World Hope, Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids, Splendid Consulting, Civic Champs, 4 Da Hood LLC, Stop Soldier Su***de, Listen, Lucy, St. Mark Youth Enrichment, Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Every Texan

02/07/2024

Our Founder, Frank Velásquez Jr., is spreading his knowledge on ethical storytelling!

We particularly love the featured quote on MemoryFox’s website!!

It's a BIG day 🎉 The 2023 Ethical Storytelling Report is here!

We conducted our first survey & gathered inquires from the sector about ethical storytelling, trauma-informed language, privacy & consent. Then, we asked some of the 🌟 greatest changemakers 🌟 in the space to weigh in.

The results will blow. your. mind. 🤯

Get your FREE copy today: https://www.memoryfox.io/ethical-storytelling/

Special shoutout to everyone who contributed their strategies, suggestions and first-hand experiences. WE APPRECIATE YOU!

HeartSpark Design, Maria Bryan Creative, T Clay Buck, Philanthropy without Borders, From Scratch Fundraising, Supporting World Hope, Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids, Splendid Consulting, Civic Champs, 4 Da Hood LLC, Stop Soldier Su***de, Listen, Lucy, St. Mark Youth Enrichment, Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Every Texan

02/04/2024

Glad to be a part of this incredible program! Sharing community-centered practices with the finalists will only enhance their pitches as well as honor and uplift the communities we work with!

01/16/2024

Ascending Leaders in Color is growing! Read on to reserve your seat in 2024!

As the two first-ever cohorts of the Ascending Leaders in Color (ALC) program conclude their transformative journey this week, I want to reflect on the profound impact the fellowship has had on its participants. ALC has ...

10/08/2023

https://azluminaria.org/2023/10/05/a-space-to-grow-new-tucson-groups-for-leaders-are-for-people-of-color-only/

4 Da Hood LLC’s peer-mentorship program is getting recognized!!!! Please reach out to me at [email protected] to join our next cohort!!

Sometimes she notices people looking at her funny for speaking Spanish. Sometimes people expect her to take care of all the Spanish-speaking customers. For people of color, moving through workplaces and community groups dominated by White men can be an exhausting maze of contradictions, discriminati...