#BlackLivesMatter in Philanthropy: Black Funders As Organizers

A discussion on our urgent responsibility to challenge our sector & strategies for how to start with your own institution and networks. This conversation reminds Black professionals in philanthropy that we have a right to show up as our “whole selves” as black people and as organizers. In order to support and strengthen social movements, it is critical for philanthropy to shift into a community that genuinely values all Black lives. As we learn from our sisters and brothers using their bodies on protest lines to challenge the state, we must move with urgency to change our own instructions, our foundation networks and colleagues to move towards becoming more responsive to the needs of Black leadership and Black communities. We hope to use this conversation to share opportunities for collective action, examples and strategies to begin your own organizing and inspire each other to be willing to take risks.

Some background on how this group came to be and what it hopes to achieve: The police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner and the decision by respective Grand Juries not to bring forth criminal charges unleashed the anger and energy of Black communities across the United States. Black philanthropists were not immune to this moment and today, collectively and individually, we struggle to better understand our roles.

#BlackLivesMatter is opening spaces for Black practitioners, allies, and partners in philanthropy to further expand their involvement in this current movement for Black lives.

Presenters:
Tynesha McHarris, Brooklyn Community Foundation
Nakisha Lewis, Ms. Foundation for Women
Allen Kwabena Frimpong, BCT Partners

Moderator:
Edward Jones, Vice President of Programs, ABFE