Portfolio

A Vision of Grace (2025)

Director

A Vision of Grace is a powerful short documentary born from a collaboration between the upEND Movement and Montrose Grace Place. The film follows Youth Voices Empowered (YVE), a vibrant youth-led advocacy initiative amplifying the voices of young people experiencing housing insecurity in Houston.


The upEND Podcast
upEND Movement

Producer – Writer – Designer

What About Disabled Parents? (with Dr. Robyn Powell) The upEND Podcast

The family policing system considers parents with mental health issues and other disabilities to be an inherent threat to their children. We reject that premise. Because of ableism, the legacy of eugenics, and the violence of poverty, disabled parents face a high risk of separation by the family policing system. In this episode, Dr. Robyn Powell discusses how the child welfare system weaponizes the idea of “predictive neglect” to discriminate against parents with disabilities and further enshrine stigma around mental health. How can we build a future where disabled families are supported through care, community, and trust—not surveillance and punishment? Reclaiming Safety is upEND’s exploration of frequently asked questions about family policing abolition. This discussion about disability justice is an accompaniment to the essay Reclaiming Safety for Children of Parents with Disabilities by Charisa Smith. About Our Guest: Dr. Robyn Powell is an Assistant Professor of Law at Stetson University College of Law and a Senior Research Associate at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University. Her work focuses on disability law, reproductive justice, family regulation, and constitutional law, with a special emphasis on the rights of disabled parents and the abolition of the family policing system.She is the principal author of the National Council on Disability’s landmark report Rocking the Cradle, Ensuring the Rights of Parents with Disabilities and Their Children, and her scholarship—featured in leading law reviews and interdisciplinary journals—examines how law and policy continue to reinforce ableism and the legacy of eugenics.Episode Notes: Support the work of upEND: upendmovement.org/donateEpisode Transcript: upendmovement.org/podcast/episode301/ Read Reclaiming Safety: upendmovement.org/safety Dr. Powell recommends people learn more about disability justice through Sins Invalid and the Disability Visibility Project.Connect with Dr. Powell at Stetson Law.Credits: Hosted by Josie Pickens and Jaison OliverProduced by Sydnie MaresMixed by Imani Crosby
  1. What About Disabled Parents? (with Dr. Robyn Powell)
  2. Reclaiming Safety (with Angela Burton)
  3. Why We Need Abortion Doulas (with Ash Williams)
  4. Adult Preschool (with Nalo Zidan)
  5. Cops in Cardigans (with Erica Meiners)

upEND Movement Resources

Graphic Design – Writing

Development

Graphic Design – Writing – Strategy

upEND Movement 2023 Report
The Easter Project at Clear Lake United Methodist Church
Love Your Neighbor at Justice For Our Neighbors
Texas Recovers at the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
Hope Rises Campaign at Clear Lake United Methodist Church

Sydnie Dan’el Mares is a creator committed to supporting and uplifting marginalized communities through an abolitionist lens. Sydnie uses her experience in graphic design, video production, and communications to build a future free of carceral systems where Black, LGBTQ, and immigrant communities can thrive.