First, let’s set the stage - let’s say an organization is at the point in its DEI journey where team members understand how everyone is susceptible to implicit bias. As a next step, leadership is preparing to run a series of staff development sessions on identifying...
This week, we witnessed the Supreme Court roll back decades of both precedent and progress. All of these decisions serve the opposite of liberation - they are about controlling others and preserving power. And those who already face systemic oppression in this...
We are thrilled to announce three promotions on our team! Cornelius Lee and UnSuk Zucker have been promoted to Partner, and Jaime Grimsley has been promoted to Associate Partner. Cornelius (he/him) joined Promise54 as an Associate Partner in 2018, and the accuracy of...
By mid-June of 2020, more than 21 million Americans participated in mass Black Lives Matter protests across the country in response to murders of Black people at the hands of police — including George Floyd, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Tony McDade,...
Heather: As a Promise54 board member and a foundation staff member, navigating the space between my personal DEI values and the constraints of traditional philanthropic models is rewarding and challenging. I see my work in both capacities as pushing organizations to...
Today we release Unrealized Impact 2.0: The Hard Truth about Where We Are and Ways to Move Forward. This marks the culmination of a year and a half of work, all fueled by a mix of love and hate and informed by a lifetime of experiences. Hate. We hate that this kind...
This week marks the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising led by: Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman; Sylvia Rivera, a Latina trans woman; Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a Black trans woman; and Stormé DeLarverie, a multi-racial butch lesbian, among others. Their...
NOTE: At the end of this letter, we have compiled a list of articles, resources, calls to action, and organizations to support learning, advocacy, affinity spaces and action. April 2021 The ongoing violence against Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) people across...
In this moment many organizations are scrambling to articulate commitments to DEI, anti-racism, and racial justice and to do the hard work of living and leading in alignment with those commitments. As leaders work to figure out how to do all of that, there is often a...
Two notes for readers: At Promise54 we’re navigating a tension. First, we feel a critical need and desire to amplify Black voices (always, and in particular right now). And, our people are tired so we’re all pitching in to disperse the burden where possible. One of...