Following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police in 2020, many corporations openly acknowledged their deep ties to America’s haunted past and made commitments to diversity and equity. Less than four years later, Wall Street backpedaled after a flurry of lawsuits from all sides of the political spectrum. Some, like one from the Asbestos Workers Philadelphia Pension Fund, have accused organizations of doing little to meet their diversity goals.
Others attempt to make the case that DEI goals don’t adequately consider shareholder returns. While the courts are now tasked, through those lawsuits, with deciding how and if corporate DEI efforts will be implemented, individual donors have always been the most crucial source of capital for organizations actually doing the work. Data from Double the Donation, an organization that provides donation-matching services, have shown that individuals giving small-dollar donations collectively make the most contributions, making up over $100B in donations annually, or just shy of two-thirds of all charitable giving in the United States.
Companies stepping back means we need to step up. As Black History/Futures Month comes to a close and reminds us to support racial justice throughout the year, here’s a list of organizations that are and have been active on the ground since well before 2020 and are committed to seeing real change and progress.
Movement For Black Lives
The Movement for Black Lives (often stylized as M4BL) is a coalition of dozens of ground-level organizations like the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the National Conference of Black Lawyers.
Since 2015, M4BL has organized, developed legislation, and organized for the equality and equity of Black life in the United States. The group has produced loads of invaluable resources for Black people living in the U.S., including legal guides, a comprehensive vision for its campaigns, safety guides, and, of course, the campaign to redub February “Black Futures Month,” as a celebration of Black life, art, love, and potential.
Center For Black Equity
Center for Black Equity is an international non-profit that seeks to build a global community of people and organizations dedicated to social justice for Black LGBTQ+ people through economic, health, and social equity. CBE provides support for Washington DC Black Pride, which in 1991, became one of the first events to focus specifically on the Black queer community.
That event was the seed for the International Federation of Black Prides, which reorganized as the Center for Black Equity in 2012. Since its inception, CBE has helped support countless other municipalities in creating and sustaining Black Pride events, in addition to providing the framework for political participation, like the CBE Public Policy Network. You can support the CBE’s mission either through direct participation in one of its many affiliates, picking up some CBE-branded basics, or donating directly.
Black Futures Lab
Black Futures Lab was founded by BLM co-founder Alicia Garza. BFL works from the ground up to educate and motivate Black voters and provide support for community organizations to build political power.
In the long term, Black Futures Lab aims to engage and empower Black voters to make the key decisions affecting their own lives. That requires leaders, organizers, and laypeople educated and active in building self-determination. The organization’s biggest project to date is the Black Census Project, aiming to gauge the priorities of Black communities throughout the U.S. to inform and develop public policy moving forward.
Black Visions Collective
Black Visions Collective is a Black-and-queer-led nonprofit that’s been involved in Twin Cities policy and activism since 2017, and was particularly instrumental in organizing local responses in the summer of 2020 that sparked critical, national conversation.
BVC is in the midst of a strategic planning process and collecting surveys on what Black people in Minnesota need next. So if you live in the state or know folks who do, this short survey provides an opportunity to provide some input and get involved.
Dream Defenders
Dream Defenders has been operating for over 10 years. After 17-year-old Trayvon Martin’s killing by George Zimmerman, a multi-ethnic coalition of youth began organizing across Florida, culminating in the occupation of the Florida State Capitol building in an effort to repeal the law that created a legal path for Zimmerman’s acquittal – and thus a miscarriage of justice.
This led to the creation of the DD, which organizes and engages the diverse youth of Florida to bring about an equitable world where people are free from war, poverty, prisons, environmental destruction, of thought, of movement, and of being.
You can support DD by becoming a member (for those in Florida) or through donations from local and national supporters.
Restore Forward
Formerly “Black Women’s Blueprint,” Restore Forward is a survivor-led organization focusing on racial and gender justice, reproductive health, and reconciliation. Restore Forward has notched some major wins, including the foundation of the Museum of Women’s Resistance, convening the first-ever Black Women’s Truth & Reconciliation Commission, developing a Liberatory Trauma healing model, and opening a safehouse in Ghana for LGBTQ people needing protection.
Accompanying the broad scope of its mission, Restore Forward has a number of ways to support the organization and get involved. Restore Forward hosts seminars and workshops to learn about and, for some, obtain certifications to better offer community health support.
They’ve also continued the work of the Black Women’s Truth & Reconciliation Commission by developing resources and retreats through their Reconciliation Center. All of these programs are supported in part by donations, as well.
Of course, this list is far from inclusive. There are many Black-led community organizations building agency and resilience: be on the lookout for one doing great work in your state or municipality.
