Six months ago, the Community Foundation launched our Solidarity program to support racial equity movement building — efforts that go beyond providing services and relief, and instead seek to collectively reimagine and alter unjust systems, and shift power to achieve long-term, community-level change. The most effective drivers of racial equity are the social movements led by those most affected by injustice. The Solidarity Program therefore supports movement building led by Black and ALAANA (African, Latine, Asian, Arab, and Native American) members of our community.
“Movement building is the effort of social change agents to engage power holders and the broader society in addressing a systemic problem or injustice while promoting an alternative vision or solution.”
Julie Quiroz-Martinez, From the Roots: Building the Power of Communities of Color to Challenge Structural Racism, Akonadi Foundation, 2010 (pg. 5)
There’s been tremendous enthusiasm and learning that will undoubtedly shape future iterations of the Solidarity program. In the first six months of our pilot year, we received an unprecedented number of applications, which affirmed the need for programs supporting racial equity movement building in our region. From the very beginning, we envisioned the Solidarity program as an ongoing conversation with the community and are excited to continue adapting it in the coming months.
If you are interested in providing feedback, want to share your experience applying for the grant, or are willing to take part in a focus group to help us take the next steps in reimagining the Solidarity program, please email us at grants@cacfonline.org.