The Link
November 2021
7-Day Racial Equity Challenge
Earlier this month, 24 members embarked on the adapted 7-Day Racial Equity Challenge…we are excited to say that we have hit the 50% mark of TPC members that have participated in this exceptional learning journey! TPC member Penny Weeks skillfully condensed the previous Challenge materials from three weeks into a succinct one-week-long version whose content was both updated and Boston-centric. After reading a variety of articles, listening to podcasts, and watching videos, members gathered in small discussion groups to reflect on their learnings. As was true in the initial 21-Day Challenge, feedback from TPC members affirmed the value of engaging in this work:
“I am learning to describe racial issues in a completely different way.”
“This is taking me outside my norms and comfort zone, but I am seeing the world through a whole new lens.”
“I want to share this content with friends.”
This effort was a collaborative one: many thanks to Kathryn Kern, Mary Laplante, Robin Miller, Osa Osagie, Penny Weeks, and Anna Whitcomb.
It’s the Holiday Season…
And what better gift to give than a TPC membership? Many of us remember when we first joined and how our understanding and insight into Boston’s nonprofit landscape grew, not to mention our personal network of dynamic, engaged women. Please take the opportunity now to think about women you know that you can offer the same benefits to, with absolutely no shipping costs. Too, if you have not already renewed or pledged to renew your TPC membership, we ask that you do so as soon as you can. We also encourage members to donate directly to the grant pool if able – every dollar counts as we aim to not only maintain, but grow, our level of support for next year’s grantee class.
Calling More Volunteers
There has been a tremendous response from TPC members to BEST’s and IFSI’s volunteer requests, for which our grantees are grateful. Still, there’s more help needed! (Read more…)
TPC’s Ninth Grant Season is Open!
We look forward to another year learning about the amazing work nonprofits are doing in our communities. Please share TPC’s funding announcement with any organizations that may be interested. Our eligibility criteria is outlined on our website and our Letter of Intent is due December 10th. (Learn more…)
Upcoming Events
Thursday, December 2, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm: “Why Is Citizenship Important?” This Lunch and Learn will focus on the importance of citizenship, an issue that falls at the intersection of social justice, democracy building, and economic stability. Join us virtually to hear Dr. Mitra K. Shavarini, ED of Project Citizenship discuss this topic.
Tuesday, December 7, 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm: Please join us via Zoom for “The Systemic Struggle for Food and Housing,”a Dialogue that will help us learn how and why these basic human rights continue to be a struggle for families today, and gain understanding of new reasons for this age-old problem. Featured speakers will be Linda Zimmerman, ED of Neighbors in Need, and Yesenia Gil, ED of Bread & Roses.
Grantee Impact: Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange
Liaisons: Kathryn Kern and Kaj Wilson
Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI) connects recent immigrants with health, education, social, and economic resources that promote education, encourage civic engagement, and strengthen communities. Through its many partnerships and whole village approach, IFSI offers education services for children and adults, ESL services, immigration assistance, work force development, leadership development, and legal services to the Haitian population in Boston. (Read more…)
DEI Spotlight
Diversity | Equity | Inclusion
From October 31 through November 12 the United Kingdom, in partnership with Italy, hosted COP26, or the UN Climate Change Conference. The New York Times explains COP26 in more detail here, but it self-describes as a summit to “accelerate action toward the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.”
While the conference focused on climate, an important dimension of the conversation was gender as women are more likely to be affected by climate change for a number of reasons, including that “gender inequalities are further exaggerated by climate-related hazards, and they result in higher workloads for women, occupational hazards indoors and outdoors, psychological and emotional stress, and higher mortality compared to men.” It’s for these reasons that more recent COP conferences have included a Gender Justice lens and frameworks for action like the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement have included specific initiatives for women.
Additional resources on this and related topics:
- Book List: The Best Books About Environmental Justice, According to Experts;
- Instagram: Emma Watson is highlighting racially, ethnically and geographically diverse, young, female or non-binary COP26 Panelists;
Want to share feedback, ideas, or resources? Please email us directly at: Diversity@thephilanthropyconnection.org.