Philanthropy's Role in Building a Multiracial Democracy: Dispatch from Shared Pathways to Heal, Repair, and Liberate

As we work towards our vision of an inclusive, multiracial democracy, there is much to gain from sharing and exploring our parallel and interwoven fights for liberation and civil rights in this country. At Shared Pathways to Heal, Repair, and Liberate -- co-hosted by California Black Freedom Fund , National Center for the Preservation of Democracy , and?Philanthropy California?at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles -– an incredible array of statewide leaders broke down foundational ideas underpinning philanthropy’s role in this work.

Funders of all kinds can approach this work as an exploration of the future we want create together, as well as an opportunity to leverage the existing strong and intersectional coalition that includes education, health, and more.

Here are some of our top (paraphrased) takeaways:

?? Marc Philpart , Executive Director, California Black Freedom Fund: The goal of a multiracial democracy will take all of us and none of us can be left behind.

?? Dr. Cheryl Grills , professor, Loyola Marymount University : There have been individual and collective movements for reparations since enslaved people called for action and in the hundreds of years thereafter. And yet, here we stand with no reparations. As Malcolm X noted, removing a knife is not repair, healing the wound must follow. Therefore, monetary reparations are necessary, but healing must take place in all the spaces and places that harm is taking place […] We all have work to do.

?? Lisa Holder , President, Equal Justice Society (EJS) : Two of the five conventions of International Human Rights law are rehabilitation and guarantee of non-repetition. In the United States, we need to rehabilitate systems around education, housing, health, and more.

We need to rehabilitate the narrative of our society that holds that Black people are less than.

??? Donald Tamaki , Senior Counsel, Minami Tamaki : Japanese internment and Black slavery are both symptoms and evidence of the deep racial pathology of our country. White skinned Americans created a new and enduring form of permanent, inheritable, and multigenerational slavery. This "thing-afying" of human beings (as MLK Jr called it) opened the door to other and ongoing forms of racism across racial identities. As noted by Lisa Holder, reparations is a unifying goal because it highlights the experience of racism we all share in our society.

??? Joanna Jackson , Interim President & CEO, Weingart Foundation : Philanthropy is incredibly important in this work. We must listen to those doing the work and take our cues from what they tell us, e.g., funding narrative and power-building work. Understand and name the origins of your wealth and how your work can be part of the action of repair.

??? Jennifer Noji , Nikkei Progressives: Stories influence the way we engage with violence and resistance and how we remember histories.

?? James Woodson , Executive Director, California Black Power Network : Reparations connects all the things that impact Black people: education, environmental justice, incarceration and more. We wanted to hear from people directly and their experiences historically, but also in real time. The Alliance for Reparations, Reconciliation and Truth is newly launched multi-racial alliance convened by CBPN and Equal Justice Society to combat anti-Blackness and promote repair, healing, and restitution.

We need strong, permanent Black institutions that will be a long-term part of the healing that needs to happen. That includes a Black foundation.

??? Kaci Y. Patterson, MBA , Founder & Chief Architect, Social Good Solutions : The Black Equity Network arose from a 2016 initiative to explore how philanthropy can use its tools to address systemic racism and anti-Blackness. This was the first time that resources were offered for work explicitly to benefit Black people, not couched in a broader "people of color" frame. It is on us to be on the front lines, but if there is fear and chronic underinvestment in explicitly Black led and Black community focused work, how can we succeed?

History, relationships, and community context are critical […] If you are a philanthropist, it is your duty to honor the work of the historians on the Reparations Task Force and get involved in this issue.?

?? Richard Tate , CEO, The California Wellness Foundation : It’s time to get activated in your institutions and at home. This conversation doesn't need to continue, it needs to expand.

Honestly, there are too many important ideas around building a culture of repair and multiracial democracy to include in this post. We encourage funders to explore the initiatives and organizations listed above, and to reach out to Catalyst of San Diego & Imperial Counties , SoCal Grantmakers , or Northern California Grantmakers to learn how you can get involved.