Social Justice Philanthropy

A Cultural Approach to Social Justice

September 11, 2010 by rosettathurman · 3 Comments

I’m in Atlanta once again. Although it’s fall in DC, it’s still warm here in the south with the sun beaming down on the city. It’s the perfect space for the cultural opening at the Southern Partners Fund 2010 Regional Grantee Gathering, designed to provide a safe space for the foundation’s grantees to find strength and assurance in one another as grassroots organizations committed to social change in the south. We’re at the Lodge at Simpsonwood in a big room with a piano in the corner and as usual, there is a song. The grantees are here to explore the threads that bring them together in their work, using music as one obvious commonality to kick off a weekend of listening and learning. There are all races and cultures represented here – African American, Native American, Hispanic, white – and the idea is to honor that diversity. As one grantee points out:

“Beyond the song or the dance is a story. The music might be different but the words are the same. We don’t all have to sing the same note, but there can still be harmony.”

Indeed, this gathering weekend is about harmony. It’s also about revival and renewal and being able to go back to do their work better.

Please be patient with me,
God is not through with me yet.
Please be patient with me,
God is not through with me yet.

When God gets through with me,
when God gets through with me,
I shall come forth,
I shall come forth like pure gold.

There are nonprofit leaders here from Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia. Several are from Mexico, Peru, or Lagos originally but are in the U.S. to help their communities get more information and education about their rights. As each grantee introduced themselves, the leaders shared stories about their background, their faith, or their commitment to their community that brought them to this work. This first evening gathering was not just about introductions, however, but a first step to figuring out the common thread: social justice.

I just can’t give up now
I’ve come too far from where I started
Nobody told me the road would be easy
And I don’t believe he brought me this far to leave me

Full disclosure: Southern Partners Fund paid me to provide blogging services for this event to leverage the power of social media to share their stories with the wider philanthropic community. The views expressed here are solely my own, however, and I stand by my commitment to authentic coverage of these issues.

Filed Under: Leading by Faith, Philanthropy · Tagged With: Social justice, Social justice philanthropy, Southern Partners Fund

28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders: Janine Lee

February 18, 2010 by rosettathurman · Leave a Comment

Janine Lee is President and CEO of the Southern Partners Fund in Atlanta.

From the Southern Partners Fund website:

Janine Lee is a veteran strategist and grantmaker in philanthropy, with more than twenty years of rich and diverse leadership experience with nonprofits and foundations; and expertise in prevention, youth development, education, community building and non-profit effectiveness. Janine most recently served as Vice President for Fostering Opportunity for the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, an Atlanta based foundation with $20 million in annual grantmaking. In that role, she led the development of a strategy articulation process, for two of the Blank Foundation’s four impact areas: Better Beginnings, an initiative aimed at ensuring a healthy, nurturing environment for disadvantaged children from birth through age five; and Pathways to Success, which encourages educational opportunities for low-income youth beyond high school. Prior to joining the Blank Foundation, Janine served as a senior leader at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation where her tenure spanned over 15 years. In her role as Vice President, she provided leadership in the creation of the community building strategy, youth development initiatives and the Kauffman Scholars Program, a $70 million college access program for low-income youth from the inner city. She also managed Project STAR (Students Taught Awareness and Resistance), a nationally recognized alcohol and drug abuse program created and administered by the Foundation.

Janine holds a master’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling, and a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation services education. In addition to her professional responsibilities, Lee is dedicated to performing civic duty, currently serving on the board of the Skillbuilders Fund for Women and Girls, a member of the Interfaith Children’s Movement, alumna of Leadership 2000 in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City Tomorrow in Kansas City, Missouri, co-founder and former chair of the Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), and a former Rockhurst University Regent. Lee is also a lifetime member of the National Black MBA. Janine is currently the President and CEO of the Southern Partners Fund, a public foundation established in 1998; emerging as one of the most significant organizations in the United States which provides funding, capacity building, operating support and technical assistance to rural organizing efforts in the Deep South.

See also: Janine’s 2009 guest column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Philanthropists need to focus on reason for grants

Photo credit: Southern Partners Fund

Full disclosure: Southern Partners Fund is a former client.

Filed Under: 28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders, African Americans, Philanthropy · Tagged With: 28 Days of Black Nonprofit Leaders, African American nonprofit leaders, black history month, Black nonprofit leaders, Janine Lee, Social justice philanthropy, Southern Partners Fund

In the Joy of a New Beginning: Southern Partners Fund Celebrates 10 Years of Philanthropy

November 24, 2009 by rosettathurman · Leave a Comment

Before lunch Hollis Watkins from Southern Echo leads us in a song. He’s remixed Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O (Banana Boat Song)” changing “daylight come and me wanna go home” to:

Freedom! Give us freedom, freedom come and it won’t be long.

Freedom, freedom, freedom come and it won’t be long.

Alta Starr from the Ford Foundation calls Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery to the stage to standing applause. He is our keynote speaker and highly revered for his enduring service to the social justice movement. Hailed as the “Dean of the Civil Rights Movement,” Rev. Dr. Lowery represents a legacy of service and commitment to the nonviolent struggle for the causes of justice, human rights, economic equality, voting rights, peace and human dignity. Rev. Dr. Lowery delivered the Benediction on the occasion of President Obama’s inauguration and is the recent recipient of The Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Rev. Dr. Lowery takes us back to the scene of President Barack Obama’s inauguration, where he used the phrase “in the joy of a new beginning” because Obama’s election created new hope in people. He quotes Revelation 21: I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and the old heaven and the old earth passed away.

Our land needs healing and all of you are in the healing business. I love anniversaries because they give you a new beginning. I told my wife we should celebrate our wedding anniversary three-four times a year! Southern Partners Fund’s 10th Anniversary is a new beginning for you. After 10 years of work and stewardship, now you’re looking to the next decade.

Rev. Dr. Lowery says that he supported Barack Obama because he thought God was trying to give us a new beginning. He went around the country asking people why they liked Barack Obama. One white woman said it was because he’s sexy. Rev. Dr. Lowery asked his wife if she thought Barack was sexy. She said, “no comment!” Rev. Dr. Lowery went to Iowa with Obama to see if he would elicit support from a majority white community. He saw white people standing in the cold to hear him, suffering from runny noses and holding signs saying, “Yes, We Can!”

God has given us a new beginning and we need to grab ahold of the joy that comes with that. I know the challenges you’re facing but God says you can look at things in a new way. Black folk and white folk can’t get away from each other. There’s no hiding place. We’re tied together inextricably. We have to work together. He uses the story of the movie The Defiant Ones, starring Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis as two escaped convicts chained together, white and black, who must learn to get along in order to elude capture.

Rev. Dr. Lowery reminds us that power can be generated by a small group of people. The power is in our hands, not in the hands of those who are so blind they can’t see. He says that we’re ushering in a new era and the whole world sees it. Rev. Dr. Lowery just turned 88 years old, and says his old eyes couldn’t see the Lincoln Memorial from the Mall during Obama’s inauguration. But in his mind, he went back to when he heard Martin Luther King, Jr., a 34-old preacher speaking at the Memorial. He said that he’d always thought that someday there would be a Black president, but none of his fellow civil rights leaders thought they’d live to see it. For the first time in his life, when they played the “Star-Spangled Banner,” it sounded pretty good to him.

Freedom come and it won’t be long.

Later in the evening, the freedom theme continues with Southern Partners Fund’s 10th Anniversary Awards Dinner and Gala. With performances by Ballethnic Dance Company, Joyce & Jacque, and Ken Ford Strings, the atmosphere is lively and full of Southern charm and sophistication. In attendance are philanthropists, nonprofit leaders, and most of the community organizers from the day’s Social Justice Institute.

Several awards go out to supporters of social justice in the South. Humanitarian awards are presented to Xernona Clayton, Founder of the Trumpet Awards Foundation and Creator of the Trumpet Awards highlighting African American accomplishments and contributions and Shaffer “Ne-Yo” Smith, Founder of the Compound Foundation. R&B star Ne-Yo’s misses his flight so his mother accepts his award on his behalf. To the audience’s delight, he ends up making it to the celebration at the very end, just in time to take photos with attendees.

We are treated to a special spoken word performance by Mike Molina, telling us to “Be Encouraged” (watch the video here or click the play button below)

We continue to celebrate the other awardees with amazing musical interludes and a lovely dinner.

Social Justice Leadership Award for Justice

Marguerite Casey Foundation

Social Justice Leadership Award for Freedom

Southern Echo (President Hollis Watkins pictured accepting award below)

Social Justice Leadership Award for Peace

Barbara Meyer of the Bert and Mary Meyer Foundation (BAMM) (pictured accepting award below)

Barbara had these words of wisdom for the group:

Learn how to stop and breath deeply when chaos surrounds you.
Remember that unasked-for advice can be heard as criticism.
The most important thing is life is to learn how to give love and let it come in. Love is the only rational act.

It was a great way to end an inspiring day. When the music started up for dancing afterwards, you could tell that this wasn’t just any old gala with your rubber chicken and empty recognitions. For the Southern Partners Fund and their grantees, this was truly a party. A time for them to raise a glass to their 10 years of hard work and revel in the joy of a new beginning for the next 10 years.

Full disclosure: Southern Partners Fund paid me to provide blogging services for this event to leverage the power of social media to share their stories with the wider philanthropic community. The views expressed here are solely my own, however, and I stand by my commitment to authentic coverage of these issues. Would you like to hire me? Visit my portfolio to see samples of my work.