Audrieanna Burgin was born at Naval Air Station Jacksonville’s hospital and has scarcely left town since, as her military father served at all three of the city’s naval bases.
She views her hometown with an affectionate, yet honest eye.
“Because of his military service … our family lived on nearly every side of the city,” she said. “Growing up this way gave me a rare and deeply rooted perspective of Jacksonville. I know where our hidden gems are, the vibrant communities and the stark differences and disparities that exist.”
As the new CEO of 904WARD, a civic group working to end racism in Jacksonville, Burgin hopes to help the city get past those disparities. The goal, she said, is the city “finally becoming what we’ve always known it could be.”
“As someone born and raised here, I know our potential and I see the opportunity all around us — we have the people, the creativity and the heart to create meaningful change,” she said. “But it’s going to take everyone. We need courageous partnerships, cross-sector collaboration and commitment to doing the hard work.”
Burgin succeeded 904WARD’s first CEO, Kimberly Allen, who was born in Virginia Beach, Va., also to a military family. They moved home to their native Jacksonville when she was a few months old and she, like Burgin, grew up here.
Kimberly Allen moved Duval County forward
Allen was hired in 2020 after serving on the nonprofit’s board and working at the Jacksonville Public Education Fund and Florida Blue. She has moved to Texas, where her husband accepted a new job.
Board chairwoman Maira Martelo said Allen’s “leadership played a crucial role in elevating the organization. She positioned 904WARD not just as a local force but as a recognized leader at the state and national levels.”
Among other accomplishments, Allen secured national funding for the nonprofit, “further strengthening our ability to drive change,” Martelo said. She pushed The Race Cards, a deck of cards that prompt conversations about race, “beyond dining rooms and into businesses, expanding the dialogue on racial equity in meaningful ways,” she said.
Also, Allen provided 904WARD funding to support Mayor Donna Deegan’s removal of a controversial Confederate monument in Springfield. That move alone, Martelo said, was “a step forward in creating a more inclusive Jacksonville.”
“Her leadership has left a lasting impact, and we are grateful for the foundation she has built,” she said.
Allen, a 2021 winner of the Florida Times-Union’s 2021 Eve Award, said her initial goal for 904WARD was simple.
Her intent was to “work the organization out of business, meaning that we had achieved the eradication of racism and to make this a city where my children, grandchildren and future generations would be proud to call their home,” she said.
That goal remains elusive, she said, citing “pushback and resistance to change.” But she said the foundation has been laid.
“As for my children and future generations, that is still to be determined. There has been progress, there has been regression and there is still so much to do, learn and transform,” Allen said. “If racial equity were not being achieved, I do not believe we would see the rhetoric and upheaval we are currently witnessing. Have we arrived, absolutely not, but we are most definitely on the right track.”
She has not been shy about taking on tough issues. During her tenure, 904WARD not only jumped into the Confederate monument controversy but helped fund the Unbanned Book Club in Duval County.
The nonprofit also co-hosted Jacksonville’s inaugural Racial Healing and Reconciliation Conference and co-founded the Jacksonville Community Remembrance Project that commemorates victims of racial terror lynchings and encourages discussion about their legacy.
And 904WARD partnered with the United Way of Northeast Florida and the University of North Florida on a racial equity community needs assessment.
Amid such work, Allen has witnessed the progress in racial equity, as well as the regression.
“We’ve seen people transformed, we’ve seen policy victories and we’ve seen people willing to engage in conversations,” she said.
Yet in Jacksonville and across the country, there have also been people “so entrenched that racialized terror lynchings occurred,” she said. “We’ve seen the backlash against racial equity using legislation to try and quiet and deter citizens from being civically engaged and we’ve seen people retreat from difficult conversations.”
Audrieanna Burgin will continue to move Jacksonville forward
But Allen sees a “bright and brilliant future” for 904WARD and her successor, with whom she has already shared “some personal wisdoms.” The two recently filmed a podcast that is to launch Sept. 3.
“The advice I will share publicly is for the Jacksonville community as she takes the driver’s seat — and it’s to embrace racial equity as a true mechanism for healing in our community,” she said. “Ignore the rhetoric that is intended to distract and divide us. This moment calls for us to link arms more strongly together. Organizations like 904WARD, and so many others, are about the work of healing, but we cannot do that by ignoring the richness of culture that exists in our city.”
Burgin’s family, education and career — her work has focused on economic mobility, education reform and social justice — prepared her for the challenge.
In addition to her father’s military service, her parents were pastors.
“From a young age, I learned the importance of service and showing up for others. Those early experiences shaped the values I carry into my work today,” she said.
She has business administration degrees from the University of North Florida and master’s and doctorate degrees in economics from Florida State University, according to her LinkedIn page.
Her most recent job was leading economic mobility research at WGU Labs, an affiliate of Western Governors University. Prior, she was director of UNF’s now-defunct Diversity in Business program. After “evolving legislation … presented significant challenges to continuing the work,” the program merged into a student-led organization, she said. Earlier, she was a visiting assistant professor at UNF, among other positions.
Burgin is currently on the boards of the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida, the public-charter school Becoming Collegiate Academy, Ascension St. Vincent’s Foundation Jacksonville and the city Mayoral African American Advisory Board.
Now she is eager to build on the “powerful legacy” left by Allen and “our amazing 904WARD community.”
Like Allen, she has seen progress and regression.
“There’s growing awareness, more people stepping up and getting involved and there is a recognition that equity work must be intentional and ongoing,” she said. “I know firsthand that deep and persistent racial and economic disparities are still impacting our city. Throughout my career, I’ve worked at the intersection of economic mobility, education and equity. 904WARD is the right fit for me because its mission speaks to what I believe at my core: We have to build systems where everyone — no matter their race, background or ZIP code, has the chance to thrive.”
bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Passing on the torch: Jacksonville native to continue 904WARD’s push for racial equity
Reporting by Beth Reese Cravey, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
