Client News:
This week, the Creatives in Place windows exhibit was unveiled in downtown Oakland. The exhibit is part of a StoryWindows campaign to create a safe outdoor, walkable, multimedia storefront gallery experience in the heart of downtown Oakland, and seeks to showcase the unique stories of the Black-Owned businesses and features the work of local Black artists and Black-led, community-based organizations and cultural assets.
Launched in January 2021 by Akonadi Foundation and Tao Rising, Creatives in Place is a digital listening project representing the voices of 22 Bay Area artists across geographies, artistic and cultural practices, ethnicities and races, and gender identities and sexualities. The installation of Creatives in Place is at the Historic Central Building ground floor windows at 436 14th Street on the Broadway side and will be up through the end of July.
“Now more than ever, we need state leaders, media outlets, and trusted messengers such as schools, faith leaders and community organizations to help heal the harm by sharing a clear, factual message: You can participate in nutrition and health care programs without fear of harming your family’s immigration status or your own.” Tia Shimada, director of programs at Nourish California, and Susan H. Babey, Ph.D., co-director of the Chronic Disease Research Program, share guidance on how California can recover from the Trump Administration’s harmful public charge rule for a commentary in California Health Report.
In a commentary for Capitol Weekly, Tim Molina, senior political strategist with the California Donor Table, argues that the recall of Governor Gavin Newsom is a tactical move by the right to distract “progressives from focusing on the real and urgent policy issues confronting California” and calls on fellow progressives to respond to the recall forcefully and “show we can do all these things at once.”
Last year saw a confluence of viral moments, spurned in part by health and economic disparities of the COVID-19 pandemic for Black and Brown communities and the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, that set off “lightning in a bottle” moments for racial justice organizations. Organizations across the U.S. focused on racial and social justice quadrupled email lists and social media followings and raised unprecedented funds for their work. The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund commissioned a new report documenting these moments with insights on how to withstand the “lightning” and harness that energy moving forward. Nonprofit Quarterly.
“We see philanthropy through a lens of reciprocity, intersectionality and cultural responsiveness, not just as a framework, but as a practice really. We draw on cultural traditions of communities of color that invite complexity, reciprocity, accountability and we sustain community and make investments that are material, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual.” Dr. Monique W. Morris, president and CEO of Grantmakers for Girls of Color on how G4GC recognizes and uplifts the wisdom of the youth they serve in their grantmaking. WNYC’S The Takeaway.
June 24 marks one year since a historic moment in the movement for police free schools in California, and across the nation. Thanks to the advocacy, brilliance and perseverance of the Black Organizing Project, the Oakland School Board voted to eliminate the entire Oakland School Police Department. In honor of the anniversary of the George Floyd Resolution, BOP hosted a town hall for members and supporters to hear about the important progress they have led in the implementation process for the George Floyd Resolution, and what is coming up. Jessica Black joined the KTVU Mornings on 2 team to discuss.
The movement for police-free schools continues. The Fresno Education Justice Coalition recently held a series of actions to urge the Fresno Unified School District Board to cancel their $3 million+ contract with Fresno Police Department that provides armed officers on school campuses and reinvest that funding in mental health services and other supports for students. While the Board voted to renew the contract, the fierce youth organizers behind this movement moved the needle on what supports young people need to be healthy and safe at school. Fresno Bee. LA Times. CBS/KSEE Fresno. ABC30.
Solidaire announced their first round of grants through the Black Liberation Pooled Fund (BLPF), created in 2020 to support the national ecosystem of Black-led social change. The network will move $14 million to 102 organizations, including the Alabama Justice Initiative, the Anti Police-Terror Project, the Black Girl Freedom Fund, the Black Organizing Project, Families for Freedom, the Marsha P. Johnson Institute, the BlackOUT Collective and the UndocuBlack Network. “We are not necessarily aiming to support a singular movement, but again, hoping to uplift an ecosystem of folks who are working to uplift the lives and futures of Black people… and therefore, kind of uplift the liberation of all people,” said Leigh Gaymon-Jones, movement partnerships and grantmaking practitioner at Solidaire. Inside Philanthropy.
This week, more than a dozen philanthropies joined together to support President Biden’s new Community Violence Intervention Collaborative that aims to strengthen and scale community-led interventions in 15 jurisdictions to reduce violence, promote safety and justice, and bolster community healing. Participating foundations will support this collaborative learning network by deploying experts to provide training and technical assistance, identify best practices, integrate proven and innovative public-health approaches, and help local community-based organizations scale intervention efforts this summer and beyond. Hyphen, a nonprofit intermediary, will anchor and lead this effort. More information at the Biden-Harris Administration Fact Sheet and the Hyphen website.
COMING UP
The Gameheads Seventh Annual Student Showcase will be back on August 28, 2021! The capstone event for the Gameheads summer program provides students with the opportunity to present the absolutely unique and totally fun games they create and design together. Save the date and follow Gameheads on social media for updates as we get closer to the event.