By Alexandra Bastien
12/15/2021
A year ago when we launched The Imperative, it was considered to be the time of a great ‘racial reckoning’ born from the sensless murders of Black people such as Geoge Floyd, Ahmaud Aubrey, Breonna Taylor and others. These events took place primarily in the United States. However, the pain and impact of of these murders led to global protests against racial, economic and social injustice.
Immediately, Philanthropy jumped into gear, with some foundations making major commitments in the billions of dollars to advance racial and economic equity. Others hunkered down, ensuring first, that their institutions avoided any ideas of equity and justice, and focused on neutral and traditionally charitable goals such as opportunity, education, feeding the hungry, and clothing the needy.
These commitments were noble in their goals, and many people benefited from these resources. However, as the demand grew for more investments in racial equity, funding for projects directly addressing the root cause racial inequity – anti-Black racism – were almost null and void in the discussion. Foundations were on the right path, but they missed one of the key points of equity – just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.
Traditional philanthropies fund strategies that stop short at the participation part of the definition of equity. That is why we created The Imperative, to build an institution that will devote itself to the prosperity and full potential of Africans and the African Diaspora. We name this population specifically because we believe that equity truly is achieved when the people closest to the pain – indigenous Africans and the children of the Diaspora – are able to take leadership on solutions needed for their wellbeing. While it may seem broad, this target population is who we center in our work. We know they will seed true and valuable solutions for creating an equitable society.
We are confident that the multifaceted, intergenerational African Diaspora is the home without walls in which the leaders and innovators of the future live. The children of the Diaspora are creating our new future as we speak! We must build a community with serious resources to support them and to join in the creation – putting to use the knowledge and wisdom leaders of the past have either ignored or been unable to share for too long.
At the Imperative we take this to heart. When we launched, we made a commitment to create space for Black people of the diaspora to come together, roll up their sleeves, and do the hard work of first healing, reimagining, and then implementing an agenda for Black prosperity that is rooted in our fullness and beauty as connected peoples and cultures. Despite the wildly strategic efforts of anti-Black racism manifested all over the world, the fact is and has always been that when Black people come together to do this hard work, everyone will benefit (even if some don’t think so). That is why strategies to divide and conquer remain a central tool used against Black communities and communities of color wherever we are.
So, we are launching 2 intentional networks to do the hard work…
- Black Space: The Diaspora Innovation Circle – This is a membership-based network for Black leaders interested in collectively building an actionable agenda for economic and social well-being across the Diaspora. Members get access to bi-monthly curated learning and strategy sessions, as well as networking opportunities. In this space, we are inviting Black leaders to learn, dream and think out loud, in a like-minded (though not monolithic) community of leaders who know that if we choose to, we can collectively build together in the interest of promoting the Wealth, Health, and Connectedness of Black people from a global perspective. Learn more about the Diaspora Innovation Circle.
- The Courageous Donors Circle -This is a membership-based network for Black and non-Black leaders interested in collectively building an actionable agenda to uproot anti-Black racism. Anti-Blackness sits at the heart of issues such as colorism, internalized oppression, erasure of indigenous traditions and culture and racial discrimination all over the world. Members get access to quarterly curated learning and strategy sessions, as well as networking opportunities. In this space, we are inviting Black and non-Black leaders to learn, dream and think out loud in a like-minded, diverse community of leaders who know that if we choose to, we can collectively build solutions together in the interest of uprooting anti-Black racism. Learn more about the Courageous Donors Circle.
We make no mistake nor apology in asking for those with courage to join our networks. We are building a new thing. And we are doing so with trust that there are many like-minded leaders who know that an institution such as The Imperative is critical. It takes courage to admit that we need this. As we’ve seen over and over throughout history, it takes courage to be unafraid to center Black communities because of the multitude of work and healing needed to move forward. We emphasize that these spaces are for those who are unafraid to not only to center Black people for this work, but to do so from a place of love.
Africans and the African Diaspora deserve to have a permanent institution focused on deploying capital and resources toward the simple goal of our well-being. If you have the courage to do so, join one of our communities and let’s do the work together.
#CourageousDonorsOnly
With love like the philos in philanthropy,
~Alexandra