Time for an Overhaul

I know I speak for a lot of Black men when I say I’m angry, frustrated, and in so much pain right now. The senseless killing of Black men unnecessarily at the hands of police must stop. 

The lack of accountability of police officers must stop. The devaluation and dehumanization of black people must stop.

I have many Black male friends who have sons and nephews in their 20’s and early 30’s. I have my own son, who like them, is just trying to make his way in the world. We carry an incredible amount of anxiety about their safety and ours every damn day. 

It Never Ceases

The one thing I most wish I could communicate to my white friends and colleagues is what our anxiety feels like and the toll it collects — yes, during volatile times like right now — but just as acutely during so-called “normal” times too. 

Our anxiety never stops. It never takes a break. It never goes easy on us for a week. It never seems to grow tired. 

Being Black or Brown in America is rife with bias, unabashed abuse and oppression. We get cops called when we are bird watching or trying to enjoy a coffee in Starbucks. We get killed while jogging. We get killed when we are unarmed, not resisting, handcuffed and faced down in the street. It never seems to cease. 

Many folks think things have been getting better over the past few decades. Black and Brown folks know that what’s going on today has been going on for nearly 400 years. While the rules and the contours of the fight may have evolved, outcomes have not.

The problem is, we’ve been doing the same things over and over again, foolishly expecting different results. Don’t get me wrong, we work really hard after each new crisis to convince ourselves just the opposite— that the thing we are doing this time around is different enough that it just might finally work.

But of course, it isn’t. 

The moves we typically make just aren’t big enough. Loss aversion is real; we’re often too unwilling to risk losing what we have, to have a chance at what we want, whether we’re passing legislation, making investment decisions, hiring talent or exercising our Constitutional right to vote.

It’s time for radical, revolutionary change. Now is the time to change our mindsets and save ourselves. Now is time to be the change we really want and need. Now is the time to heal, rehab and grow as a people. Now must be that time. 

Changing How We Change

I got tired of talking about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion four years ago, and decided to take action by starting DivInc. 

DivInc is a business accelerator for women and people of color. We provide entrepreneurial know-how and root-level access to business and venture capital ecosystems both in Central Texas and around the country. 

Our goals are to create socio-economic equity in our society by removing barriers to successful business ownership thereby creating generational wealth in communities we serve. 

A Black VP of marketing with a few stock options is a great thing — all the time and every time. 

But a Black founder with 20% or 30% or 50% — or God forbid (!) — 100% ownership of a fast-growing, highly valued new enterprise is downright dangerous.

With yet another wave of injustice and national anger reaching new heights, my team and I are ready to take action again, in the best way we know how.

-Preston L. James, II, CEO, DivInc 

Announcing: Our Social Justice Innovation Accelerator

I'm proud to announce that DivInc is launching our Social Justice Innovation accelerator program. We will use our expertise to help entrepreneurs all over the country apply their skills to creating systems-level change.

This is a new, issue-specific program 100% focused on finding the most innovative companies and organizations across the US that address inequities and disparities caused by institutionalized bias and racism.

This program is for social enterprise, for-profit companies or non-profit organizations alike. They must have a unique social justice innovation approach that effectively targets eradicating racism in criminal justice, healthcare, education, voting, and housing. 

Learn more and apply here. Applications for this program open Friday, June 12, 2020.   

Our Social Justice Innovation program is unique because we’re part of a social impact leadership collective that is building a comprehensive social impact ecosystem. 

Our program will match social justice innovators with critical capital resources and active initiatives looking to be implemented by public and private institutions nationwide. 

We are working in partnership with the Notley Ventures “Tide” program to leverage important human, social, financial and political capital resources to get innovative solutions from ideation to implementation.  

The program also includes an expert Selection Committee, made up of leaders who will help us find, vet, and invite awesome innovators to be part of the program: We're excited to welcome the following selection committee members:

• Chas Moore, Founder and CEO of Austin Justice Coalition 
• Mindy Gulati, Diversity, a Equity and Inclusion consultant with Fundamental Advisory 
• Marcus Carey, Founder of Threatcare and Enterprise Architect at ReliaQuest
• Bob Bridge, Founder and Executive Director of SWAN (Southwest Angel Network)
• Kelli Newman-Mason, a Partner at Notley Ventures
• Amos Schwartzfarb, the Managing Director at Techstars Austin and this year’s co-winner of the Champions of Change Investor of the Year Award
• Thomas Miranda, Founder of Sparkovation Advisors and Interim CEO of Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

How You Can Help

First, we need more subject matter experts.

If you have expertise in the fields of criminal justice reform, healthcare, education, housing, policing, and want to help rid our institutions of racism, we would love to have you as part of our mentoring team for the Social Justice Innovation program.  

Similarly, to all you super-successful CEOs, COOs, CTOs and other leaders: if you have world-class business or technical expertise and want to help us make sure the founders and teams in this cohort get the deepest access possible to the information and networks that helped make you successful, please. 

Mentors of all kinds should sign up here as soon as possible. 

Second, for Corporations and Foundations who want to support our Social Justice Innovation program, please become a DivInc Diversity Partner. This is the backbone of our funding model.

Proceeds go directly to providing financial and professional support to our companies. Divinc does not take equity or charge fees for portfolio companies and their founders to participate.

Please contact Monica Morales at [email protected] for more information and to join.

Finally, for individual donors, If you want to support Social Justice Innovation participants with a financial contribution, please explore your donation options here. All donations go to supporting the program participants. 

Let’s Go

I don’t claim to know what the solutions are today. What I do know is that by bringing great people together with a common mission, we can make things happen. 

We’re seeking people who genuinely want to help, and are ready to listen, learn and innovate. 

We’re seeking the brightest and best minds, the most passionate and empathetic leaders, and the most inventive innovators in the country to help disrupt the status quo permanently. 

We’re seeking those who are not afraid to step out of their comfort zones. And we’re seeking those of you who have resources to push for what we all know is right. 

We are a collaboration of changemakers enabling social justice innovation by :

• Pooling our collective human, social, political and financial capital;
• Getting behind emerging entrepreneurs and pushing as hard as we can;
• Doing whatever it takes to open traditional pathways to power and opportunities to everyone 

Yes! We really can do something we can be proud of, and just maybe something that our kids and their kids will be proud of too — a nation that has greatly evolved to treat everyone with love and respect for all humankind. 

It doesn’t matter what your race, gender, or sexual orientation. This is for all of us. Right now, we must be bigger and bolder. A true overhaul is needed.  

-Monica Morales, VP of Business Development, DivInc

Please, please join us. https://www.divinc.org/