SisterFund’s Post

BIG NEWS: For the third year in a row, we're investing over $1 million in grants to support Black-led organizations, leaders, and initiatives across Minnesota. This funding includes a targeted effort to strengthen the organizational capacity of groups driving transformative change within their communities, as well as investments in proven leaders engaged in community-centered civic action. Our newest grantee partners are working across a broad range of systems to: Address the needs of Black communities for full and dignified lives Ensure access to affordable housing and healthy food Build Black wealth and entrepreneurship Keep Black communities safe by addressing surveillance, policing, criminalization, mass incarceration, and deportation Black-led change is genius! Learn more about our grantees and our efforts to strengthen the Black-led change ecosystem in Minnesota: https://lnkd.in/gu4crsrF Want to learn about upcoming opportunities? Sign up for our newsletter at MNBlackCF.org.

So many seem to either not know, or forget, about #BlackWallStreet. One of the most impactful teachings of my MBA education was my finance class. “Compounding”, as it relates to interest, wasn’t new to me, but the repetitive application of it forced me to really understand it’s long term impact, and that life itself is an act of compounding; from your relationship with your significant other, to your ascension in your career. When we revisit the Tulsa Massacre, it leaves me to question what would compounding have produced in the last 103yrs if our grandparents and great grandparents had the opportunity for “Black Wallstreets” across the country. My father (71) who became the neighborhood electrician, told me about not being able to get into the electrical trade as a young Black guy from the Southside of Chicago because “those white boys wouldn’t sponsor Blacks”. My mother (76) told me about a particular day of being chased home from Lindbloom HS by a group of white men, utterly terrified. She also told me the only reason my grandfather was able to drive a bus was because he was fair skinned enough to pass for white and that he didn’t “look” Black. The stories of our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents doesn’t mean that Black folks in America NEVER EVER had opportunities, or that white Americans NEVER opened any doors for us. We know that’s not true. But when you think about compounding in life, what did compounding produce for my fellow Americans who freely went to institutions of higher learning, purchased homes, started businesses, invested in businesses, bought land etc? The anti discrimination laws in housing, employment, and education came into existence for a reason. What do you think that reason was? Highlighting America’s dark history isn’t about being a “victim”. I have three degrees and speak two languages, ain’t nothing “victim” about me, (yes I said ain’t). But I’ve witnessed firsthand the luxuries compounding has granted non Black Americans, like receiving hefty down payments on their homes from their parents and grandparents, or debt free college education. My student loan balance would make your jaw hit the floor and knock your teeth out. Young, educated and over qualified, Black men, women, and nonbinary folks across the country don’t want a handout, we just want an opportunity to “compound”. You’d be misguided to think racial biases, and racial hierarchy is not alive and well in 2024. America used us to build a mansion, and then told us to sleep outside.

We’re listening and learning to make sure we’re focused on the things that matter. In year one of the ForHousing Strategy, our black and disabled colleagues told us they felt less satisfied with working at ForHousing.  Take a look below to find out how we’ve listened, learned and acted on what they told us: https://bit.ly/3W0Q8Ie

Writing on Substack, American economist Glenn Loury bemoans the demise of the two-parent family: "Donalds [conservative Black politician Byron Donalds] made the news last week when, during an event in Philadelphia, he noted that black families remained intact—more marriages stayed together, more children were raised in two-parent households—at higher rates during Jim Crow than today. There shouldn’t be anything remarkable about such a comment. It’s simply a fact. There were far more black two-parent households relative to the population in the US in the 1950s and 1960s than there are today. It’s not even close. And that shouldn’t surprise us, because there were far more two-parent households in the US overall at that time than there are now. The half-century-long surge in one-parent households is, for many reasons, a more dire problem for the black community than it is for others, but it’s not only a “black problem.”

Today marks the anniversary of the founding of the Black Panther Party, a movement that is often misunderstood.While many associate the Panthers with radicalism, their core mission was rooted in hope, community empowerment, and self-determination. They stood against injustice, but they also built programs that directly uplifted their communities. Free Breakfast for Children Program Community Schools Health Clinics Political Education These initiatives addressed systemic inequalities and empowered Black communities, ensuring that essential needs were met. Their legacy lives on today in how we think about community care, self-reliance, and the power of grassroots organizing. The Black Panther Party gave us bold ideas about what’s possible when we come together to serve and support one another. Let’s not forget their profound impact, especially as these kinds of efforts can sometimes be overlooked in modern narratives. The power of the Black Panther Party is a reminder that hope and empowerment are just as revolutionary as any political stance.

Republicans Unite: Engaging Black Churches for Change In this video, I discuss my unique experience as the only Republican invited to engage with predominantly black churches. It’s time for all parties to come together for prophetic engagement and support our communities better. #RepublicanEngagement #BlackChurches #CommunityChange #PoliticalUnity #FaithBasedAction #DiversityInPolitics #ChurchLeadership #PropheticEngagement #InclusivePolitics #StrongerTogether

Where Is My Land is a Black-founded, Black-led organization formed to help Black families and descendants secure restitution for the loss of land, liberty, and wealth. If you are asking why our mission is focused on Black people — reflect on your motives for such questions. Through our work, we are creating opportunities for everyone to learn about various claims to land in this country that have been suppressed and ignored. What we are not going to do is indulge in "whataboutism" and other tactics meant to divide and conquer. We reject all attempts to alienate us from other groups that have been victims of the same injustice, inequity, and disparate treatment. We stand in solidarity with others seeking restorative justice from the same systems and unfair practices. WIML is part of a growing community of organizations and partners working toward reparative justice. Several of our partners center Indigenous land claims, and we exist in support of each other — not in competition. We respect other groups’ decisions to focus their limited resources and efforts on their own communities and recognize that the purpose of those decisions is not to be exclusionary of other communities. We demand the same respect and recognition of our mission. And please stop asking Black people to put everybody else's needs, concerns, and feelings before our own. #blacklandback #whereismyland #reparationsnow #reparativejustice

"There’s this perception that Black kids that make mistakes are not also our children. We’re not seeing the children in our community and city as ours or as the future. If we did, we’d be more intentional in how we speak about them, interact with them, and teach them.”⁠ ⁠ 🔵🟠🔵🟠⁠ ⁠ One of most recent additions to the LCCR team is our first ever Strategic Storyteller, Cierra Chenier. Within her role, Cierra will be leading LCCR’s efforts to combat the harmful narratives surrounding Black youth and work with LCCR’s policy team, the Youth Justice Advocates, and other community partners and allies to develop campaigns aimed at changing how the public views Black teens in our city. ⁠ ⁠ Despite the likelihood that Black youth in Louisiana are five times more likely to be incarcerated than their white counterparts, they too are like any other kids who want to be safe, loved, and cared for by their community. When they make mistakes, as all teens do, they need to be afforded the opportunity and grace to learn from those mistakes in an age-appropriate ways that don't include incarceration. We look forward to seeing the fruits of Cierra's campaign work take shape in the new year and hope that you'll join us in rejecting narratives that not only sow seeds of fear of our children but also further criminalize them. Learn more about Cierra and the Strategic Storyteller role by clicking here: https://lnkd.in/gX4Dh9tx

🌍✨ Protect. Teach. Build. It’s OUR Responsibility. ✊🏽🖤 Black children deserve to know their true history—a legacy of greatness built by Architechs of Civilizations! It’s time to protect them from the harm of racism and enrich them with the knowledge that’s rightfully theirs. We’re reclaiming what was stolen. We’re building a brighter future. For our people, by our people. 💡 Join the Movement: Pledge $1/day to secure our youth's education, success, and generational wealth. Together, we can change lives forever. 📢 Take the Pledge Today: https://buff.ly/4iSW8O7 #AfricanFuturePledge #ProtectOurChildren #ReclaimOurHistory #GenerationalWealth #BlackExcellence #OurFutureOurResponsibility ✨ It starts with us. Let’s commit to the next generation. Will you join us? 💪🏽

Generational trauma caused by slavery has left a profound and enduring impact on Black communities, with effects that continue to reverberate through the generations. The horrors of slavery—systemic oppression, physical violence, forced separation of families, and the denial of basic human rights—have resulted in deep-seated psychological, emotional, and social wounds that have been passed down from one generation to the next. The trauma of slavery has contributed to the development of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within Black communities. Moreover, the ongoing systemic racism and discrimination that stem from slavery have led to economic disparities, limited educational opportunities, and unequal access to healthcare, further perpetuating the cycle of trauma. These intergenerational effects of slavery are evident in family dynamics, cultural practices, and community relationships. Addressing this generational trauma is crucial for healing and creating a more equitable society. It requires acknowledging the historical injustices of slavery, providing support for mental health and well-being, and working towards systemic change to dismantle the structures of racism and inequality that continue to impact Black lives today.