About Access to Change
Confronting Barriers. Awakening Truth. Reclaiming Legacy.
Confronting Barriers. Awakening Truth. Reclaiming Legacy.
Access to Change, Inc (ATC) is a community-centered nonprofit dedicated to restoring truth, protecting legacy, and empowering individuals and families to confront systemic harm with clarity, discipline, and purpose.
Our work sits at the intersection of history, advocacy, youth development, and community accountability — bridging what has been buried, what has been broken, and what must be rebuilt
Access to Change was founded to address the long-term consequences of historical erasure, institutional neglect, and generational disconnection—particularly where harm has been normalized rather than repaired.
We believe that truth is not abstract.
It is documented. It is lived. And when it is ignored, communities bear the cost for generations.
ATC works alongside descendants, families, educators, and community partners to ensure that history is acknowledged, harm is addressed, and future generations are equipped to lead with integrity.
Access to Change exists to:
Honor buried and forgotten histories and protect sites of cultural and ancestral significance
Challenge systems and practices that harm families and communities through neglect or exclusion
Strengthen youth through leadership, discipline, and behavioral support
Build accountability and long-term stewardship, not performative solutions
Reconnect people to legacy, identity, responsibility, and truth
We believe truth is power, healing is necessary, and legacy is responsibility.
Access to Change advances advances its missions through three interconnected areas of work:
1. Historic Preservation & Descendant Advocacy
ATC leads and supports efforts to protect historically Black cemeteries and burial grounds that have been neglected, damaged, or threatened by redevelopment.
Through the Brutontown Descendants Heritage Initiative (BTDHI), we:
Document historical and land-use records
Support descendant engagement and stewardship
Pursue preservation pathways such as Consulting Party status, local designation, and Nationa Register eligibility, and
Advocate for lawful, ethical treatment of sacred sites
This work ensures that ancestral burial grounds are recognized not as expendable land—but protected cultural heritage.
2. Leadership & Development
Access to Change invests in youth by strengthening behavior, identity, and leadership capacity at critical stages of development.
Through programs such as STEP Academy and embedded behavioral support services, ATC helps young people build:
Emotional regulation and self-awarness
Discipline, accountability, and respect for structure
Leadership skills rooted in confidence, clarity, and responsibility
Our behavioral support work is preventative, restorative, and developmentally grounded. We partner with educators, families, and program leaders to address behavioral patterns early—supporting healthy coping strategies and reinforcing positive behavior in real-world settings.
Rather than treating behavior in isolation, ATC addresses the whole child, recognizing that behavior reflects environment, unmet needs, and systems of support. This approach equips youth to lead themselves before they are asked to lead others.
3. Community Education & Accountability
ATC engages communities through education, documentation, and public-facing advocacy that connects historical harm to present-day outcomes.
We believe accountability begins with understanding—how systems operate, how harm becomes normalized, and how communities can respond with structure rather than reaction.
Our work supports:
Informed community engagement
Intergenerational dialogue
Pathways for lawful, ethical change grounded in documentation and process
Access to Change is guided by principles of:
Truth-centered work grounded in documentation and lived experience
Discipline over reaction, prioritizing long-term outcomes over visibility
Stewardship, not extraction, honoring people, land, and legacy
Intergenerational responsibility, recognizing that today's actions shape tomorrow's inheritance
We do not rush process.
We build foundations.
Access to Change is committed to doing work that lasts.
We pursue solutions that protect the dignity of the past, strengthen the clarity of the present, and secure the future generations to come.
This is not about symbolism.
It is about responsibility.
Co-Founders
Dr. Donald R. Smith — Co-Founder & Board Chair
Retired pastor, educator, and community elder whose leadership anchors ATC's mission, values, and legacy-centered work.
Sonji Smith Dogan — Co-Founder & Executive Director
Bruton Town descendant, strategist, and community advocate leading ATC's programs, initiatives, and organizational growth.
Andrea Marzette
Administrative Support
Kersandra Smith
Bookkeeper
(Established, transitioning into active governance for the 2026 cycle)
Dr. Donald R. Smith
Co-founder & Board Chair
Sonji Smith Dogan
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Rodney Williams
Treasurer
Crystal Souder
Secretary
Sanchez Gardner
Board Member
Sheila Williams
Board Member
Jakob Ogdahl
Board Member
CJ Spiller
Board Member