Dear Colleagues,
In recognition of Black History and Black Futures month, the Hill-Snowdon Foundation is launching a brand new website for our Making Black Lives Matter Initiative (MBLM). The Making Black Lives Matter Initiative site will provide background on Hill-Snowdon’s MBLM Initiative that is focused on supporting Black-led organizing in order to help revitalize and strengthen the institutional and political power of the Black community. The website describes Foundation’s framework for supporting Black communities to develop the power necessary for them to thrive and introduces the Black Social Change Funders Network as a vehicle to help philanthropy better coordinate its efforts to achieve social change in the Black community.
Most importantly the website will feature the work of Black-led organizing groups that are advancing Black history everyday as they organize to create brighter Black futures where Black lives matter and the Black community is thriving. The website will do this in two ways:
1) By highlighting the dynamic Black-led organizing groups that HSF has chosen to support through the MBLM Initiative and our regular grantmaking; and
2) By hosting a living, searchable map of Black-led community organizing groups in the country.
We hope that the database and map will help promote the important work of Black-led organizing and Black social change groups within philanthropy and also allow the groups to learn about other organizations doing work towards social, racial and economic justice in the Black community.
As we reflect on Black History month, we must realize that the path to a thriving future for the Black community lies through revitalizing and strengthening the infrastructure for Black-led social, institutional and political power. We all have a part to play in making Black lives matter and we offer this website as one small contribution towards building a brighter Black future where the Black community matters and thrives.
Let us know what you think about the website via email at info@makingblacklivesmatter.org or on Twitter @MBLMInitiative.
Be Well and Be Bold,
Nat Chioke Williams, PhD
Executive Director
Hill-Snowdon Foundation
www.hillsnowdon.org
