As long as Tymm Hoffman has a voice, a keyboard or a pen, diversity and inclusion will remain part of his mission living in Colorado Springs. He will keep writing and posting on Facebook and showing up at every District 20 and District 49 school board meeting because, as he says, being a parent is his life’s greatest work. Tymm and his wife Laura, who are white, are adoptive parents to three Ethiopian kids.
“For my 9-to-5 job at a large nonprofit, I quite literally get to wear a badge that reads ‘Child Advocate.’ I don’t think the badge means I only carry this title for an eight-hour day. I am an advocate for children, 24 hours a day. Period.” Tymm explains.
Sometimes this advocacy is very personal. When Tymm’s oldest daughter, Meron, was called a racial slur in the hallway of her high school, Tymm says he filed a police report – and officers were very helpful.
“The use of that word, when it is overheard by others, is considered a hate crime,” Tymm explains, visibly emotional.
Meron and several friends also staged a school walk-out over racism experienced at school and what they perceived as an inadequate response by school officials.
After those incidents, in the summer of 2024, several of Tymm’s friends suggested he apply to be a member of LETAC (Law Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Commission). The commission was formed in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020 to make recommendations to the Colorado Springs City Council on how to promote understanding and a good relationship between the police department and the public.
“I wasn’t sure about it,” Hoffman says. “I tend to be sort of a disruptor, in the church and in the world, around racism.”
He ultimately decided to put his name in as a candidate – at which point, a few negative voices surged. City councilman Randy Helms reached out to Hoffman stating that the council had received emails calling Hoffman a “radical leftist.” (Requests for an interview with city councilman Randy Helms were not returned.)
Following the negative input, Hoffman rallied supporters who sent, he says, 30-plus emails advocating Hoffman’s heart for justice and righteousness. Ultimately, the city council did not approve Tymm Hoffman as a member of LETAC.
“I believe 95% of racial issues could be resolved if we – parents and police or parents and members of the District 20 Board – could just sit down and talk,” Hoffman argues. “I am not the only one who cares about racism.”
Hoffman’s purpose in attending so many school board meetings is to be sure he is at least one voice for children who have been wronged. Hoffman came to this calling, the space of adoptive parent/racial advocate, via Atlanta and ultimately Ethiopia. When he and his wife, Laura, first submitted paperwork to adopt internationally, the couple chose China. However, the Hoffmans were soon alerted to an Ethiopian baby named Brighton, who needed a family.
“At that time, all I knew about Ethiopia was it’s in Africa. Now, 15 years later, I think of Ethiopia almost every day.” Hoffman explains. Tymm and Laura had no idea their baby Brighton would never spend a night in the Hoffman home. Unbearably, Brighton died 76 days after he was born. Tymm shares malnutrition was listed on Brighton’s autopsy report as one of several causes of death. The Hoffmans’ connection to the son they never met remained strong, and as they fought to give Brighton a proper burial, more connections were being woven alongside their loss. There were three other Ethiopian children for Tymm and Laura to adopt, and Brighton’s short life also became the catalyst for Tymm and Laura’s “very grassroots nonprofit” called Brighton Their World.
Between 2009 and 2010, Tymm began saving money for a trip to Ethiopia. He planned to lead a small group of other Americans. “At that time,” he remembers, “I just knew the people there needed formula. I gathered some and delivered it.” Then, a business connection of Tymm’s in Nashville heard about the work the Hoffman’s were doing in Ethiopia and donated $42 thousand.
“With the first big donation we thought, I guess we’re supposed to start this school,” Tymm said.
The Brighton Academy of Excellence was born. Focused on social-emotional development and early literacy and numeracy, the school’s website says it serves around 1,000 students aged 4-18 years old in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“This year,” Hoffman smiles, “we will celebrate our first graduating class.” Both Laura and Meron hope to attend.
“My three kids have opened my world view,” Tymm shares. “I think it’s important people don’t hear our current president talk and think that – if their skin is a different color – they came from an [expletive]-hole country.”
