Everyone has their own lane in the movement. Whether you’re the person on the ground canvassing, or the grant writer submitting proposals, or the funder advocating on behalf of certain organizations, we all have our lane. The folks sitting on boards for nonprofit organizations or philanthropic institutions are crucial figures– they need to be plugged into the community and ready to advance the cause of justice as an institutional north star. At the same time, it’s important for the community to know how to navigate the halls and positions of institutional power. In this episode, we discuss how positional power is an important lever for creating the conditions for Black folks to thrive.

In loving memory of Reggie Webb. Beloved husband, father and entrepreneur. (1948-2024)

Connecting community, philanthropy, and policy together isn’t an easy feat, but it’s necessary. Being able to bridge the three together successfully requires a secret sauce that our hosts and our guest, Karren Lane, most certainly have. How do you navigate differing agendas and a multitude of stakeholders when the community is watching?

Eradicating systemic and institutionalized racism isn’t the work of one organization or two, it’s about creating an ecosystem of power building organizations throughout the state (and country!) that work together to generate a movement. The California Black Freedom Fund and the Black Equity Collective are two examples of what empowering organizations with resources and community allows for maximum impact.