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13 July: Open Society Foundations: A $220 Million Investment in Racial Justice
by Patrick Gaspard, president of the Open Society Foundations.
PIC: Protestors march against discriminatory and abusive policing, in Brooklyn, New York City, on June 19, 2020. © Demetrius Freeman/NYTimes/Redux (JUNETEENTH BLM PROTEST)

I was a teenager growing up in New York when I attended my first protest against police brutality...
I’ve attended countless protests in the years since. But I’ve never seen anything like the power-surge of citizen activism we’ve witnessed this spring and summer, following Mr. Floyd’s murder. Millions turned out in demonstrations that touched every corner of the country, and communities all across the globe...

I joined the Open Society Foundations because of George Soros’s deep commitment to racial justice. I am humbled now, as president of the Open Society Foundations, to help implement his vision and continue his work. Today, we are investing $220 million in response to the burst of energy we have witnessed from this extraordinary movement, in hopes of nurturing it and ensuring that it endures long after the media spotlight has moved on...

We are contributing $150 million to a set of organizations that we deem vital—organizations that have helped make this moment happen, and that have the vision, drive and determination to carry it forward into the future. They range from emerging powers to more established civil rights forces. Among them: Black Voters Matter, Circle for Innovations, the Rev. Barber’s Repairers of the Breach and the Equal Justice Initiative. Each of them play a crucial role...
https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/a-220-million-investment-in-racial-justice

13 July: Open Society Foundations: Open Society Foundations Announce $220 Million for Building Power in Black Communities
“The success of this movement, the largest in U.S. history, will be measured over years, not weeks, and we cannot say that Black lives matter and not make a multi-year commitment to a strategy set by and centering Black leaders and organizations who changed America’s sense of what is possible,” said Tom Perriello, executive director of Open Society-U.S...
Recipients of this set of investments range from emerging groups to more established forces for civil rights. Among them: Black Voters Matter, Circle for Justice Innovations, Repairers of the Breach and the Equal Justice Initiative...

In the coming weeks, Open Society will be providing further information about these and other areas of investment, including support to emergent efforts to establish truth commissions and other tools to promote racial healing—as well as funding to improve conditions particularly for Black workers and other workers of color—as labor, racial, and social justice organizations prepare for a national “Strike for Black Lives” later this month.

“Sustaining this extraordinary momentum toward centering justice for Black lives is fundamental to getting our democracy on track,” said Gaspard. “We need to combine long-term commitments to this movement with near-term opportunities, to ensure that the millions who have stepped up to take action can see enough results to stay engaged.”
https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/newsroom/open-society-foundations-announce-220-million-for-building-power-in-black-communities

Harry Walker Agency: LaTosha Brown
•Cofounder Black Voters Matter
•Advocate for democracy/Civic Engagement, Philanthropy, and Women’s Empowerment
•Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government
•National Organizer, Political Strategist, and Contributor to MSNBC, New York Times
Explore LaTosha Brown’s Talks
https://www.harrywalker.com/speakers/latosha-brown

BLACK VOTERS MATTER FUND ANNOUNCES MAJOR VOTER OUTREACH INITIATIVE WEEKS BEFORE NOVEMBER ELECTION
Initiative to Include Radio Ads, Digital PSAs, Voter Outreach “Caravan” in 12 Key States.
“With just seven weeks until Election Day, it is more important than ever that voters remain active, informed, and engaged,” said LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund and the 2020-2021 American Democracy Fellow at Harvard University’s Charles Warren Center for Studies in American History...
“This year’s election will decide our nation’s trajectory not just for the next four years, but for a generation,” said Cliff Albright, co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund and a 2020 recipient of the Open Society Foundation’s Soros Equality Fellowship...
BVMF will also co-host the Hip-Hop Political Education Summit, featuring rapper Chuck D., Princeton University professor Dr. Cornel West, Georgetown University professor Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Senator Cory Booker, and others on September 22, which is also National Voter Registration Day. In October, it will launch a digital public service announcement instructing voters in 11 states on how to fill out their ballots.
https://blackvotersmatterfund.org/news/black-voters-matter-fund-announces-major-voter-outreach-initiative-weeks-before-november-election/