Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies

Generations of women before us laid the foundation for a world where women are safe, free and equal. Today, grantees in our Gender and Reproductive Equity portfolio, alongside advocates, organizers and policymakers, continue it. Together, they ensure women of all backgrounds have control over their bodies, equal access to political and economic power, and safety from violence and harassment. They amplify women’s voices at the table, in the boardroom and in the halls of power. They seek to strengthen our families, communities, economy and democracy. And with so much at stake, they press forward. ? This #WomensHistoryMonth and #InternationalWomensDay, we celebrate our grantees alongside the visionaries who opened the doors before them. Learn more about how they advance equality and safety. https://bit.ly/3QQjsz0.

???? Go girl, it’s your birthday! Opill, the first daily birth control pill you can get without a prescription turns 1 year old today! Celebrate with us by spreading the word, and helping us ensure that Opill is affordable and accessible to all who need it. Swipe through for resources on the Cost Assistance Program (OpillCAP.com), Opill locator, and take action by taking and sharing our survey! #birthcontrol #publichealth #healthcare #overthecounter #reproductiverights #feminism #college

We’re #hiring! Join our team as a Human Resources Business Partner in Washington, D.C., or Tulsa, OK.? ? In this role, you’ll collaborate with members of our Talent and Human Resources team to ensure a high-quality leave management and benefits operation that supports all team members and fosters an inclusive work environment.? ? Learn more and apply today. ??

This month, we honored the legacies of leaders like Dr. Carter G. Woodson, Dorothy Bolden, John Lewis, Ida B. Wells and Julius Pegues—visionaries who fought for justice, equity and human dignity. Their work reshaped systems and expanded rights, creating progress that reaches far beyond their time and communities. Today, our grantees carry their fight forward to challenge injustice and drive us toward lasting, meaningful change. Learn how they build on these leaders’ efforts in our latest article on Toward? ?? https://bit.ly/3D9UUOq.

In the 1950s, Julius Pegues, a star high school basketball player from Tulsa, OK, was barred from playing at the University of Oklahoma; they did not accept Black athletes. Later, he made history as the first Black varsity basketball player at the University of Pittsburgh. This experience of discrimination was not new to Pegues. He had grown up among a generation of survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and saw firsthand the deep injustices they endured. Determined to bring healing to his community, Pegues spent his life working to advance #RacialJustice in Tulsa. He collaborated with local leaders to desegregate public spaces, challenge discriminatory practices and establish a Tulsa chapter of the NAACP. In the last two decades of his life, he created lasting spaces to honor the victims and survivors of the massacre in Tulsa. Today, grantees in our hometown of Tulsa continue his work for racial justice, building a future where all Tulsans—especially people of color, immigrants, families living in poverty and LGBTQ people—can thrive.

Ida B. Wells knew the cost of truth-telling. After she exposed the brutal lynching of her three close friends in 1892, a mob destroyed her newspaper office and forced her to flee her home in Memphis. Rather than be silenced, she dedicated her life to exposing racial violence and demanding justice. Through investigative #Journalism and advocacy, Wells challenged the systems that enabled violence and demanded protections for Black Americans. She fought for civil rights and women’s suffrage and co-founded the National Association of Colored Women and the NAACP. Her legacy is one of fearless #Organizing and unshakable commitment to justice. Today, grantees in our Criminal Justice portfolio build on her efforts to end mass incarceration, advance #RestorativeJustice and hold systems accountable for violence against Black communities. Wells’ work continues to power movements that are reimagining safety and justice for all.

Former Congressman John Lewis understood that while progress is never easy, it is always possible when communities join together. Beyond his activism in the civil rights movement—from joining the Freedom Rides to marching from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights—Lewis exemplified the power of #CoalitionBuilding in the face of adversity. He believed that communities with histories of persecution and resilience, like Black and Jewish communities, could unite to create a more pluralistic society and a #StrongerDemocracy for all. In 1982, Lewis put this belief into action by partnering with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) to establish the Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition, which led to the Congressional Black-Jewish Caucus in 2019. Today, grantees in our Jewish Community portfolio continue his work of building a society where belonging and inclusion are paramount while upholding his core belief: Together, we can create something greater than the sum of our parts. ??

As a young child, Dorothy Bolden began working as a #DomesticWorker. Like so many other women in the profession, she experienced firsthand how working in others’ homes leaves workers vulnerable and with little recourse to address abuse, wage theft and retaliation for speaking out. These injustices were baked into the system. The Social Security Act of the 1930s, which established minimum wage and overtime protections, excluded domestic and farm workers—at the time, jobs primarily held by Black Americans as a legacy of slavery. As a result, those workers to this day do not have the same federal protections as all other labor sectors. Adapting lessons learned from the civil rights movement to build #CollectivePower, Bolden helped to found the National Domestic Workers Union of America (NDWUA) in 1968. She organized thousands of women across the country to successfully advocate for better wages and hours and pushed for legal reforms to secure rights for domestic workers. Bolden’s leadership helped ensure #DomesticWork was recognized and valued, deserving of #FairWages, legal protections and safe conditions. She changed countless workers’ lives—and ignited a larger movement for gender and racial justice in the workplace. Today, her legacy lives on through organizations like the National Domestic Workers Alliance and our grantees working to ensure women have the support and protection they need to build stable futures.

Dr. Carter G. Woodson, often called the “Father of Black History,” understood that integrating the #History of Black Americans into education was essential to shaping informed, empowered communities. As the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), Woodson advocated for an #Education system that would recognize the full spectrum of Black American experiences in its history curricula. His efforts led to the creation of Negro History Week in 1926, which evolved into #BlackHistoryMonth, ensuring Black history remains a cornerstone of education for generations to come. Today, Woodson’s work inspires grantees in our Education portfolio, along with the teachers and district leaders they support, by reminding us that to shape our future, we must fully understand our past.

Shiri Bibas, her sons Kfir and Ariel, and Oded Lifshitz. We have carried their names in our hearts since they were brutally taken from their homes over 500 days ago. Today we grieve alongside all who loved them. May their memories be for a blessing, as we pray for all the hostages to return home, for all innocent civilians in harm’s way and for safety and peace for all who seek it in the region.