Honoring Black American Contributions

photo by Tyre Nicols on his website T. Nicols Photography

“My name is Tyre D. Nichols. I am an aspiring photographer….Photography helps me look at the world in a more creative way. It expresses me in ways I cannot write down for people… My vision is to bring my viewers deep into what I am seeing through my eye and out through my lens.”

~Your friend, Tyre Nichols.

Honoring the Contributions of Black Americans to a Better America

Dr. Somava Saha CEO WE In The World

During Black History Month, we often reflect on the legacy of harm that Black communities have experienced. Initiatives like the 1619 Project challenge us to reexamine our understanding of America’s history through the lens of slavery. The Equal Justice Initiative has helped us understand that this legacy of slavery continues today in a system of unjust mass incarceration of Black and Brown bodies for economic gain.

As we reflect on Black History, we often neglect ways in which Black entrepreneurs and community organizers, urban planners and historians, mothers, and teachers, despite systems of oppression, have built thriving and resilient communities and demonstrated how all of us can live in a more thriving and equitable America.

In this WIN Digest, we celebrate Black excellence and contribution to the building of a more perfect union in America, one in which everyone can participate, prosper, and contribute to the well-being of others, often at great sacrifice.

photo used here was taken by T. Kaiser l Unsplash

Articles for Reflection

Andrew Young: A Giant Among Us

National Archives Blog

March 12, 2021, marked the 89th birthday of a leader that serves as a gatekeeper to our understanding of the most preeminent era in Black History. A pastor who spread the practice of non-violence in the rural South at the risk of being killed. An activist who participated in the most pivotal acts of protest for the suffrage of African Americans. A man who witnessed the assassination of his beloved friend who would become the everlasting symbol for civil rights. A politician and diplomat who successfully transitioned his stance for human rights into an international campaign. In recognition, The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum celebrates the life of Ambassador Andrew Young.

In 1972, Young became the first African American from Georgia since Reconstruction to be elected to the United States Congress when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Georgia’s 5th Congressional District. While serving in Congress, Young served in the notable Congressional Black Caucus and Banking and Urban Development Committee. As a Congressman, Young was also instrumental in enacting legislation that created the U.S. Institute for Peace. Young also used his political influence to further the prosperity of his home state of Georgia by allocating funds to improve highway infrastructure in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area (NAID 7970179) and creating the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (NAID 643650).

Read about Andrew Young here

AFRICAN AMERICANS. Cleveland's African American community is almost as old as the city itself. GEORGE PEAKE, the first Black settler, arrived in 1809 and by 1860 there were 799 Black people living in a growing community of over 43,000. As early as the 1850s, most of Cleveland's African American population lived on the east side. But Black and white families were usually interspersed; until the beginning of the 20th century, nothing resembling a Black ghetto existed in the city. Throughout most of the 19th century, the social and economic status of African Americans in Cleveland was superior to that in other northern communities. By the late 1840s, the public schools were integrated and segregation in theaters, restaurants, and hotels was infrequent. Interracial violence seldom occurred. Black Clevelanders suffered less occupational discrimination than elsewhere. Although many were forced to work as unskilled laborers or domestic servants, almost one-third were skilled workers, and a significant number accumulated substantial wealth. Alfred Greenbrier became widely known for raising horses and cattle, and MADISON TILLEY employed 100 men in his excavating business. JOHN BROWN, a barber, became the city's wealthiest Negro through investment in real estate, valued at $40,000 at his death in 1869. Founded by New Englanders who favored reform, Cleveland was a center of abolitionism before the CIVIL WAR, and the city's white leadership remained sympathetic to civil rights during the decade following the war. Black leaders were not complacent, however...

Read about the history of African Americans in Cleveland here

Listenable

The Sum of Us: A Higher Ground Podcast

Based on her award-winning book, “The Sum of Us”, this podcast by Heather McGhee details stories about the solidarity dividend–the lessons learned from multiracial coalitions working together to advance racial justice.

Listen to Podcast on Spotify

Visit our Website

Spoken Word Poetry: Amanda Gorman's poem at the UN General Assembly 2022 l UNICEF

Inspiring. A must-watch from poet, activist and UNICEF supporter Amanda Gorman at #UNGA.

Brightspot

Visit their website

The National Panhellenic Council

The National Panhellenic Council (The Divine 9) is a collaborative council of historically black sororities and fraternities. Black Greek organizations were founded in the first 2 decades of the 20th century in response to growing numbers of African Americans attending both HBCUs and predominantly white institutions of learning, being blocked from joining white Greek letter organizations. All 9 organizations promote racial justice and economic opportunity

Resources for Equity

Anti-Racism Daily

A daily newsletter to build your literacy to advance racial equity and justice.

Subscribe or join a course

Ending Police Violence

“Defund the Police”—the slogan that emerged during the 2020 #BlackLivesMatter uprisings—has been misrepresented and critiqued by many politicians and media figures. Similar to how most Americans felt about the Civil Rights Movement in the 60s, the idea of defunding the police is considered too radical and counterproductive to some.

Learn more here

Join the Conversation

‘I AM FANNIE’

A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN

The “I am Fannie” campaign celebrates the life of renowned Black activist and community builder, Fannie Lou Hamer through a short film and a campaign to support the well-being of the Black community. Developed by Chromatic Black, a collective of Black artist-activists. Join the movement!

Find out more here

Deep Living Retreat: Discovering & Cultivating Our Capacity for Engaged Presence

The retreat is based on EnneaCrossings™, a unique and powerful body of work with practical applications for bringing our greatest potential into the world.

Discover:

What moves us toward a sense of separateness or a sense of interconnectedness

How the relationship between our material and essential natures affects our capacity for engaged presence

How to create inner intimacy

The conditions that support our deeper essence of whole-being

An appreciation of EnneaCrossings™ as a compelling yet simple process for moving in the direction of what truly matters

Upcoming events

7 Feb - The Equity Summit

Feb 7, 2023 - Feb 9, 2023 EST

7 Feb - The Promise of Cost of Gun Violence Studies in California: Findings and Lessons from Santa Clara County’s 2022 Report

10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST

7 Feb - Homelessness as a Housing Supply Problem

01:00 PM - 02:00 PM EST

25 Feb - Work2BeWell Virtual Teen Mental Health

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST

18 Mar - 2023 YBCA 100 Celebration

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST

9 Jun - The 2023 All-America City Awards

Jun 9, 2023 - Jun 11, 2023 EDT

WIN Network Calendar

Funding Opportunities

Communities Transforming Policing Fund

Type: Foundation

Due Date: February 8, 2023

Match Required: No Cost Share

Overview: The Communities Transforming Policing Fund (CTPF) supports small and emerging grassroots organizations addressing police violence, criminalization, support for families and victims of police violence, campaigns to invest in communities and divest from policing, campaigns to erode the power of police associations, and build community-based safety strategies.

Jack and Jill of America Foundation, Inc.

Type: Foundation

Due Date: March 15, 2023

Match Required: No Cost Share

Overview: The purpose of this program is to support nonprofit organizations and public agencies that provide access to heart and mental health education and resources for prevention, detection, and/or treatment support for disadvantaged or underserved communities.

The funding agency seeks to address issues affecting African American children and families by investing in programs and services that create a strong foundation for children to thrive in the long term, including support of programs and organizations addressing underlying and root causes of social problems affecting African American communities, families, and children.

Sunstate Equipment Foundation

Type: Foundation

Due Date: April 1, 2023

Match Required: No Cost Share

Overview: The purpose of this program is to support charitable efforts in communities where employees of the Sunstate Equipment Company live and work through awards to nonprofit organizations. Funding will support projects that make a meaningful impact in those communities under the following focus areas:

Disadvantaged children and/or adults
Medical aid and research
Housing assistance
Domestic violence awareness and protection
Military/veterans assistance
Care of abused/neglected animals

Preference will be given, and most awards will be made, to applicants that operate in, or are near, a region or metropolitan area in which the Sunstate Equipment Company has a presence in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, or Washington. A map and directory of the Sunstate Equipment Company's locations can be found online at www.sunstateequip.com

See more here