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...
Starting an optional book club for colleagues to discuss Robin DiAngelo or Ibram X. Kendi’s work. Adding Juneteenth, Ramadan or Lunar New Year to your organization’s internal calendar. Creating a DEI discussion channel on Slack. When approached thoughtfully, these...
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...
As we prepare for a pivotal moment in our political history, social sector leaders are grappling with the uncertainty of this election as they plan for an imminent new reality this week (and beyond) and the looming impact that will have on their teams.What do I say?...
Clearly, painting “Black Lives Matter” in the street doesn’t undo a legacy of racist policies. Most of us have a sense that releasing public statements supporting the Black Lives Matter movement won’t automatically eliminate the need to interrogate exclusionary...
We held a teamwide discussion recently on the concept of resilience, and asked Promise54 team members to share their reflections on how and where they learned about resilience and how they’re considering it today. When we entered into the conversation we were...
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...
This list was initially written by one of our teammates, Vanessa Douyon, as a resource for her friends and family. We are re-publishing here to share with our networks as well. It is intended to serve as a starting point for leaders contemplating where to go from here...
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...
As a first-gen Mexican-American, high-school and college graduate, former teacher, and PhD who now researches K-12 policy and inequities, I can say with confidence that the U.S. public education system was not built for me or other Folks of Color. Instead, we have a...