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Last week we celebrated Black futures and explored how we achieve a multiracial democracy that centers Black people. Northern California Grantmakers (NCG) and California Black Freedom Fund (CBFF) have been scheming to bring something to philanthropy for a while. More than 200 folks joined us to have some challenging conversations about the legacy of systemic racism, how it impacts today, and how we turn the corner and build a democracy that serves us all.
The recently finalized “public charge” rule forces families to choose between basic necessities, such as food, housing, and health care, and their future. NCG is proud to join 25 other California foundations in signing a letter urging the entire philanthropic community in California to join us in our recommitment to creating the inclusive California we know is possible, and to support advocacy and direct services organizations fighting to create safe and thriving communities across our state in the face of this new “public charge” rule. Read the letter, below.
We no longer have to wonder what we would have done if we’d been around at the peak of the civil rights movement. Whatever it is, we will be doing it now. These words ring from our conference. This moment demands more from us. This moment demands we be explicitly clear: Black lives matter! This moment demands we say their names: Nina Pop, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and remember Oscar Grant.
How can corporate philanthropy be responsive to the demands of this moment? It's a question rooted in the very nature of a capitalist economic system, where corporations focus on maximizing returns exacerbates inequities. Into that mix, corporate foundations and champions of social responsibility mobilize their companies’ resources and talent to restore community balance and advance social good.
Conundrum: As a person of color leading a foundation, how do I deal with white staff who are demanding progress on DEI while simultaneously disrespecting, microaggressing, etc.
All children deserve to have access to a quality education. They deserve to feel safe and supported in a place that exists to prepare them for their futures. Yet, for Black youth and other youth of color, this is far from the reality. Every day, Black children and other youth of color, some as young as six are being pushed out of classrooms and schools because of deep racial profiling. Across the country, Black high school students are twice as likely to be suspended as white students. In Oakland, while Black youth made up 26 percent of the Oakland Unified School District’s enrollment, they represented 73 percent of arrests. This vicious cycle continues to fuel pathways to prison and confinement, where Black youth are consistently over-represented, which creates additional barriers for our young people to realize and achieve their full potential.
The Supreme Court’s decision to federally overturn Roe V. Wade has eliminated a person’s constitutional right to abortion and reversed 50 years of federal abortion protection. States now have flexibility in deciding whether to allow, limit or ban abortions and vital reproductive health. In the 2022 mid-term election voters passing this proposition strengthens California’s infrastructure as a reproductive freedom state for all.