On Wednesday we bore witness to a truly historical moment when we watched Kamala Harris take the oath of office and be sworn in as the first woman, the first Black, and the first South Asian Vice President of the United States. And we watched a painful four years come to a close as Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States, taking the oath a little before noon on January 20, 2021.
It is an understatement to say that this moment will have a profound impact on future generations of U.S. leaders. As our founder and CEO, and former staffer for then San Francisco District Attorney Harris, Bilen Mesfin Packwood said to KQED of her two-year-old daughter, “She will never not know this reality…she will never not know a country where something like this is possible or something like this could happen. And I am just elated and having all the feelings and all the emotions.”
While we will celebrate a new day for our country and our communities, we will also know we have work ahead to both repair the harm of the past four years, and to move toward a more affirmative vision for our country and our communities.
Client News:
The white supremacist attacks on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 have inspired the Solidaire Network to “double down” on supporting racial justice movement building. According to executive director Rajasvini Bhansali, “Philanthropy must incur far greater political and financial risk to repair ongoing harms of its disinvestment from Black, Indigenous and people of color organizing.” Inside Philanthropy.
“As an extension of our communities, our public systems, and their leaders have a responsibility to all of our young people and their families, regardless of where they live or whose jurisdiction they might find themselves in trouble.” Allison Magee, executive director of the Zellerbach Family Foundation, on how counties across California can truly reimagine youth justice through careful implementation of SB 823 and centering the needs of those “directly impacted by our system’s failures”. CalMatters.
Coming Up:
Save the date! On Thursday, March 4, Young Women’s Freedom Center will host an online event to lift up the experiences of system-impacted youth represented in Through Their Eyes, the latest report from the Freedom Research Institute which will be released next month. Sign up for Young Women’s Freedom Center email updates to get a link to register and more information about Through Their Eyes.
ICYMI:
Applications are still open for The Black Video Game Scholars Program! Gameheads’ newest program is aimed at increasing the number of young Black students in the video game industry pipeline. Follow Gameheads on social media @WeAreGameheads and follow the link — or share with the young game dev in your life — to apply: https://tinyurl.com/BlackVideoGameScholars
