Photo by Library of Congress on Unsplash. Civil rights march on Washington, D.C. Film negative by photographer Warren K. Leffler, 1963. From the U.S. News & World Report Collection.
Over the past few weeks, the nation has turned their intense sadness over the unjust deaths of more and more Black people at the hands of the police into unprecedented action. Like many white people, we, the founders of Gild Collective, have been unsure of how to respond, how to react, and how to move forward as agents of change that elevate the Black community. We have been watching with open eyes, learning as much as we can (including a lot of re-learning what we thought we already knew), listening to Black voices, and grieving for and with Black communities.
More than anything else, we have been thinking about how we will commit ourselves going forward to anti-racist action and Black community support. How will we take action?
We are a small business with the mission of changing individual views and behaviors to shift workplace cultures and breakdown gender barriers. Our goal in searching for “our action” going forward was to support causes and organizations that align with our mission, but focus on the elevation and healing of women in the Black community. We also wanted to commit ourselves to continued learning that will allow us to improve and grow in our approach to intersectionality in the work that we do.
Here are the three organizations we will be taking action to support going forward:
Black Girl Ventures – Their mission is to provide Black/Brown woman-identifying founders with access to community, education, and leadership development in order to meet business milestones that lead to economic advancement through entrepreneurship.
The Loveland Foundation – The Loveland Therapy Fund provides financial assistance to Black women and girls nationally seeking therapy. Through their partnerships with Therapy for Black Girls, National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network, Talkspace and Open Path Collective, Loveland Therapy Fund recipients will have access to a comprehensive list of mental health professionals across the country providing high quality, culturally competent services to Black women and girls.
The Great Unlearn – Another initiative from The Loveland Foundation’s founder and president Rachel Cargle, The Great Unlearn offers a monthly self-paced syllabus of readings, video lectures, and even templates for reaching out to your employer, local school districts, and other organizations about racial justice and accountability. To get a glimpse into Rachel’s words and approach, we recommend starting here.
Through a combination of one-time donations and monthly patronage, we are dedicating ourselves to causes that will elevate Black female founders, provide healing to Black women and girls, and provide learning where it is incredibly needed.
If you are struggling to find “your action”, know that you are not alone. The research takes time, the thought process can be long, and the work is hard – but worth it. Don’t stop, and don’t give up. We are all in this for the long haul.