Ciarra is originally from Detroit, MI, and the eldest of 4 siblings, growing up with a brother with cerebral palsy shaped Ciarra’s understanding of the need for equity and inclusion at a very young age and is a large part of the reason why Ciarra was homeschooled from 4th grade - high school. Ciarra graduated from Calvin College (now Calvin University) with a BA in Psychology and a Minor in Spanish. Post-graduation, Ciarra served in AmeriCorps before attending WMU Cooley Law School where she graduated top third of her class. Ciarra maintained full-time employment in the non-profit service sector throughout her educational years and this experience heightened her passions for the advancement of the Black community. As a result, Ciarra is deeply committed to racial justice, economic equity, inclusive higher education, civic engagement and voting rights in communities of color, and legal accessibility for low-income communities. Ciarra is a true change agent working to effect equitable systems transformation in West Michigan which is why Ciarra made local history in 2021 when she established AQUME Foundation, the first Black Community Foundation in the state of Michigan, and national history as AQUME Foundation is only the 5th Black community foundation in the nation. Ciarra strives to live by the quote made famous by civil rights activist Angela Davis, “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
Ciarra has been listed in the Grand Rapids Bar Association 3 in 10 in 2025; LINC Business Enterprise Award in 2024, Grand Rapids Crain's Business Journal 40 Under 40 Class in 2020 & 2022; Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce Young Athena award in 2022; and Grand Rapids Young Professionals Raising the Bar award, 2020
The racial wealth gap in the United States remains one of the most persistent and damaging indicators of systemic inequality. Rooted in centuries of slavery, segregation, discriminatory lending practices, and unequal access to education and employment, this gap continues to undermine economic mobility for Black and Brown communities. According to the Federal Reserve, the median wealth of white families is nearly eight times that of Black families and five times that of Hispanic families, disparities that have remained largely unchanged for decades. These inequities are compounded by structural barriers such as housing discrimination, wage disparities, and limited access to capital for entrepreneurs of color. Closing the racial wealth gap is essential not only for advancing racial justice but also for achieving a more equitable and prosperous economy for all Americans. Our founder understands the power of institutional philanthropic systems and the influence they have to make lasting positive changes, thus the vision for AQUME Foundation was born.
AQUME Foundation is a grassroots community foundation, and we formed in 2021 because our community needed our presence. And while we do not have an endowment like many of our peers, AQUME Foundation tirelessly strives to center economic justice and racial equity in philanthropy for the betterment of the Black community. AQUME Foundation serves our Black communities to achieve economic prosperity via philanthropic avenues that have historically been inequitably distributed. AQUME Foundation has broken barriers and shattered existing industry norms since our inception. To date, our organization has provided over $100k in community grants, event sponsorships, and college scholarships. Even while under-resourced in comparison to our peers, we have been as resilient as our ancestors in our commitment to making systems level change in philanthropy for the betterment of the Black community and we strongly believe in our organizational mantra “Philanthropy Looks Like Me!”
