Stackwell ’s Post

#Juneteenth It wasn’t all that long ago that Juneteenth first hit my white-dude-living-in-Utah radar—admittedly late. So, I’m in no position to judge if you’re still learning with me about the day we celebrate the end of chattel slavery in the United States. Of course, ending slavery no more made things right with Black Americans than freeing an innocent person from prison after 30 years makes things right. The implications are intergenerational. Systemic racism was overt even within the Federal Government for 100 years following the end of slavery. The GI Bill, providing generous benefits to America’s World War II veterans, explicitly excluded Blacks. The Federal Government created redlining, formally discouraging bank lending in neighborhoods with significant Black populations—a practice that didn’t end until 1968. Most of the institutional racism that persists in America is subtler, but it isn’t gone. Getting a home financed in a predominantly Black neighborhood remains more difficult despite redlining being illegal. Only 1 percent of venture capital goes to Black founders. We must celebrate the end of slavery. Those of us who don’t identify as Black and haven’t experienced the challenges associated with racism in America should, however, be careful in how we celebrate. I would hate for my celebration to sound like I’m proud of America’s history with respect to Blacks in America because we ended something we shouldn’t have started. We should have done so much better—and I am not personally without guilt. Celebrate with an Investment in a Black Founder! See my list of Black-led businesses raising via regulated investment crowdfunding here: http://s4g.biz/19jun24 #ImpactCrowdfunding #DiverseFounders #SocialEntrepreneurs #CommunityCapital #ImpactInvestors #RIC #InvestmentCrowdfunding #SuperCrowd

In the Child Welfare and Racial Equity Collaborative that I convene, we have a shared agreement that we call “Locate yourself” (s/o to Stephanie Ghoston Paul for helping us develop it). Locating yourself is the practice of being aware of yourself physically, emotionally but also socially and historically. We take stock of the unearned advantages that we carry into a shared space. Our country’s analysis of discrimination allows folks to claim a harm without locating themselves in our socio-economic-political reality. Our evaluations of discrimination claims need to include an assessment of collective identity or historical marginalization. Keeping a racially neutral standard allows for these “reverse racism” claims to perpetuate the historical harm that anti-racist efforts are seeking to mitigate. This would require an agreement on history and identity that we are OBVIOUSLY sooooo far away from achieving. P.S. for the other PKs, it’s just me or are these lawsuits reminiscent of that justice lesson that Nathan gave David (2 Samuel 12).

“How to Think about Supporting Black Business Differently,” offers reflections and approaches for effectively supporting Black-owned businesses. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique challenges and opportunities they face. The racial wealth gap in the United States continues to widen, presenting a persistent challenge despite decades of efforts to mitigate it. At its core lies the disparity in household wealth and asset ownership, particularly in historically low-income communities. While entrepreneurship has long been celebrated as a means to generate wealth, create jobs, and sustain local economies, black entrepreneurs in disinvested communities often face systemic barriers that hinder their access to essential resources. To read the full article click here. 

These lawsuits are similar to the massacres and/or burning of entire Black communities like Rosewood and the Greenwood section of Tulsa (known as the Black Wall Street). The target: Black prosperity. By suing Fearless Fund and Hello Alice, opponents kill two birds with one stone: (1) Black female entrepreneurs and (2) Employment in Black communities. It’s not enough to try to take away the opportunity to attend elite universities or participate in fellowships. It’s not sufficient to prevent Black people from engaging in executive and professional level careers in the workplace, or contributing to the corporate supply chain. These folks want to STOP Black VC funds from supporting Black women-owned businesses, which are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs. What’s bananas is that the courts and anti-DEI crew will leave in place efforts to help White women (who are also STILL underrepresented in VC efforts by the way…), as well as other communities, but dismantle anything that translates into advancement for Blacks. Note: it still renders exclusion when the process is seemingly “open” to everyone but the RESULT is that no Black individuals obtain VC funds or bank loans. All of this. It is all the *very* definition of racism. WELCOME TO BLACK HISTORY BEING MADE.

Breaking Barriers in Fundraising 🚧💼: Debunking Myths and Confronting Race-Based Challenges For many minority founders building companies we know the cycle of trying to raise funding. Adonica Shaw CBE, INHC, CIHC debunks the myth that black and brown founders have access to "more money" or "extra money" from black venture capitalists, emphasizing that venture capital are merit-based rather than racially biased. She also points out that black venture capitalists are often investing money from limited partners (LPs) who are not people of color, and their investment decisions are driven by the potential for returns rather than racial solidarity. Thanks to Adonica for the reminder to black and brown entrepreneurs to challenge the status quo, pursue funding from major firms. Go Hard 🔥🔥 Richard Venegar Samantha Katz Samella Watson Evan Leaphart Will Stringer Giselle Melo #blackbusiness #blackfounders

Cedric Bobo was named to the “10 Top Powerful Black People on Wall Street You Should Know” in 2015. But with roughly two decades of investor and investment banking experience in place, Cedric took a different path. He founded Project Destined, a non-profit that teaches minority teenagers the ins and outs of real estate investments. The name Project Destined was inspired by the 2016 film Destined; it tells the story of a young boy who in one reality is a drug dealer and in the other is a successful architect. The outcome of a single event determines the path the boy pursues. Cedric plans to change the outcome to a successful one for as many minority teenagers as he can. Listen in to hear the inspiring story that took Cedric from Mississippi to Wall Street, and the incredible rise of Project Destined! https://lnkd.in/egeEK_75 ------------------------------ 👋 I’m Eve 🌇 In love with cities. 🚀 Disrupting the status quo at SmallChange.co 🎧 Rethinking real estate. For good. Liked this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Click the bell on my Profile 👥 Send me a connection request #commercialrealestate #socialimpact #impactinvesting #bipoc #socialentrepreneurship #realestate

Corporate Social Responsibility is a simple model. In practice, initiatives run the gamut from purely transactional to transformational, and I'm glad that my employer did it right with this partnership by leasing office space in the Urban League of Greater Madison 's new Black Business Hub, an enterprise center devoted to incubating, accelerating, and networking Black and other BIPOC entrepreneurs. This is top-of-mind because I'm working in the new space today, but also because I just finished "From Generosity to Justice" by Darren Walker of the Ford Foundation, an incisive call to action for funders for self-examination and rethinking philanthropy. What are some inspiring CSR partnerships you've seen? Books/studies that you'd recommend?

Black History Month offers a profound opportunity to reflect upon the past and forge pathways for future prosperity and equity. Naquana Borrero, CFRE, the 2023 ATHENA Young Professional Award recipient, shares her unique perspective on the indispensable need for access to capital, corporate philanthropy's transformative impact, and local organizations' pivotal role in nurturing an inclusive business ecosystem. Read more >> https://ow.ly/pYTq50QCi54

This Black History and Black Future Month, and every day, we must not only celebrate the contributions of African Americans in history, but also commit to supporting vibrant and equitable futures for Black communities. This year's theme "African Americans and the Arts" highlights how African Americans have used art—from performing arts to literature to film—for preservation of cultural history and for collective empowerment. Throughout a history of resilience and community, art has been a critical tool for healing from the past and imagining a new future. In our work on Building Cultures of Belonging, we've similarly seen that the arts, particularly music, possess the unique ability to pierce through fear, alienation, and despair. We know that philanthropy has an important role in catalyzing repair and supporting Black communities to thrive. Inspired by the power of art, we've collaborated with creative partners Pop Culture Collaborative, USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center's Popular Music Project, Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, and many more to foster deeper communion across disparate cultures and identities to build a future where all belong. Through our latest focus on cultivating repair, we are supporting efforts like Equity And Transformation and Liberation Ventures to heal past and present-day harms stemming from the legacy of colonialism and slavery. Across our focus areas Reimagining Capitalism and Advancing Responsible Technology, many partners are similarly working toward belonging and empowerment for and with Black communities. 👉 Throughout the month, keep an eye out as we highlight the efforts of our staff and partners to celebrate Black history and co-create inclusive futures. Aria Florant Tonyel Edwards, Ed.D. Cora Daniels Alexandra Williams Maurice A.