Tag: change

A Look Back: What Was Said at “On the Table”

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As many of you know, Kelly Fair lead an “On the Table” Discussion through the Chicago Community Trust. She presented on the other side of the crisis! Peel back the layers and see #blackgirlsmatter. Move past the tough exteriors and discover young vulnerable girls in need of love!

Were you unable to attend the On the Table Discussion? Don’t worry! We have a little video here for you to know the main points of the other side of the crisis and how you can help!

Let’s take a look back with this snippet:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGBGON-04sk&w=420&h=315]

Representation Matters…#ThankYouDocMcStuffins

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Have you heard of the trending #thankyoudocmcstuffins? Young African-American girls and their parents are sharing their Doc_mcstuffins_familyappreciation for a line of toys (and TV show) that feature a young, black girl as the lead! The Disney Junior Program “Doc McStuffins” brings a new face to popular media. With a doctor for a mother, young “Doc” inspires to be just like her and hones her skills on her toys! While the premise of the show is simple, its impact is anything but!

There are few African-American lead characters on popular television, let alone for children’s shows. “Doc” not only represents black youth, but young women as well! She shows girls that they can have a successful future in a STEM field–that they are more than capable! At Polished Pebbles, we are whole-heartedly approve of this representation in our media. Polished Pebbles strives to provide similar mentors and role models for our girls in the program. It is important that they can see themselves in positions they are working towards! We want more “Doc”‘s on our televisions! 

Click here for the Upworthy article on #thankyoudocmcstuffins…

Click here to view the twitter feed for the trending hashtag…

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Investing in the Future of Black Girls

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As many of you know, Kelly Fair was an ambassador for the Chicago Community Trust at the On the Table Discussion Tuesday evening. We had our discussion with a diverse group of people from community service members (social workers, school counselors, etc), teachers, businessmen, and even officers of the court. She lead her topic, Investing in the Future of Black Girls, with inspiring community leaders to teach them that everyday citizens are agents of change. Kelly Fair has often focused “on the other side of the crisis”. Black girls are living and developing in the same communities as black boys, yet they do not receive as much attention. Their fight is an invisible one. Polished Pebbles, Kelly Fair, and On the Table 2015 brought a voice to that struggle.

This year, Kimberlé Crenshaw released a report, Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected. According to Crenshaw:

Ideally, the conversation Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced, and Underprotected engenders within communities and among philanthropists, policy makers, stakeholders, and advocates will lead to the inclusion of girls in efforts to address school discipline, push-out, and the pathways to incarceration, poverty, and low-wage work. We are especially hopeful that ongoing efforts to resolve the crisis facing boys of color will open up opportunities to examine the challenges facing their female counterparts.

Crenshaw and Kelly Fair agree on multiple points. Like Crenshaw, Fair believes more research, media, and communities need to focus on young, African-American women. From sex trafficking to school discipline, our girls are in danger in their very communities. As local community leaders, you are able to make changes, to be a voice for this invisible fight! We want to empower you to stand up for your community, for your young, black girls. For all of those who already have, thank you for your courage, for all of those who have yet to do so, thank you for reading our message. We want to continue our discussions! Comment, share, and spark conversation with those around you. Because together she will shine!

From Polished Pebbles and Kelly Fair, thank you to all who attended Polished Pebbles facilitated On the Table discussion. We appreciate your voice, heart, and presence. Thank you to Chicago Community Trust for allowing us to share this conversation with our community.

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What’s Love Got To Do With It?

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Last week we shared with you amazing insights from L’Oreal Thompson Payton. In one of her ilovehumanityresponses, L’Oreal shares the definition of philanthropy as “love of humanity”. To close our April theme of Philanthropy and Giving, I want to delve into this definition. When we think about donating money, time, and resources, what does love got to do with it?

Valaida Fullwood, from Black and Brown News, proposes in her article, Love Of Humanity: Let’s Radically Engage In Reclaiming The Root Of Philanthropy, that philanthropy (and love) are inherent in Black America. She writes:

Indignities, inequities and injustices do not simply dissipate; instead, we must come together in systematically uprooting them – the needs are great and the need for unity greater.  The times beckon a new era of conscientious philanthropy, rooted in a love for community and expectations of social change. Let this generation, both young and old, embody a social transformation with bold recognition of our power and responsibility to give back.

Black America faces many challenges, not just in daily life but also from large institutions in this country. Fullwood suggests that by loving Black America, we can create sustainable change. An extension of that love is philanthropic giving. If we want to see change, we have to support that change! This radical redefining of philanthropy might change the way you think of giving. Philanthropy is not a single, begrudging act, it is an expression of self, a way of life. Instead of engaging in philanthropy. Be philanthropic. Be love. If philanthropy only takes love, then we all have a little to give.

Let’s reclaim the definition of philanthropy. Let’s love our humanity. Let’s love Black America.

What Is Informed Giving?

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For the month of April we want to talk about philanthropy. As we shared in last week’s post, giving to others leads to happiness! Now that you may be thinking about donating, we want you to be informed. You may think there isn’t much for you to know because you are an individual and not a corporation, but there really is! We want your $10, $20, $50, or $100 donation to benefit a positive, worthy organization. 

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Here are some tips to help you decide when to donate, and who to donate to:

  • Location. Where is this organization located? Is it in your community or state, is it in the US or is it abroad? Think about what is important to you. While you may love what an international organization is achieving half way across the world, you might feel more satisfaction being part of change you can see.
  • Scope. Similar to location, what is the breadth of this organization? Do they have a local focus or an international component. Is this important to you?
  • Population. Who is this organization serving? If there is a particular population that interests you, you should seek out organizations that are empowering those communities. Perhaps you love working with youth and want to donate money to a mentoring organization. Or an environmental organization that focuses on endangered animals. What drives your passion? Find that, and be part of that positive change!
  • Values. What are the values and mission of the organization? Do you agree with them? While you may love what an organization is doing in a community, you might not love their values. Think about what is important to you, and what you can and cannot support. Your values may differ religiously, politically, or ethically.
  • Time. Where are you in your life? If you are feeling pressure financially, wait! There is no rush to donate to an organization. You don’t want to regret that donation you made, it could lead to guilt! Some people find it best to donate after retirement or when they settle into a stable career. If its a small donation, maybe that $5 you found on the street can go towards the community program providing ESL courses. Decide what time is best for you.
  • Future. What are the long-term goals of this organization? And can you see them reaching these goals?You don’t want to donate to an organization only to find out they went under a few months laster. This doesn’t mean you only donate to long-standing organizations. Just choose ones that seem to be on the right path. Trust your gut, and your heart.

If you’re really feeling up to the challenge of being an informed giver, check out this list of investment strategies from Strategic Philanthropy.

Now that you have all of this knowledge in your head, go out and make a difference as an informed giver!

Women Making Herstory

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Last week we shared with you black women who made herstory. Today, we want you to know women who are making herstory! These black women will inspire you to put your best foot forward. You could even raise your daughter to be like one of these heroins, these herstory-makers!

Positive Men: Tony Porter

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As we close up February’s Men’s Month, we would like to share with you a TedTalk by Tony Porter. In “A Call to Men”, Mr. Porter shares the constricting nature of masculinity.

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Growing up as a boy, we were taught that men had to be tough, had to be strong, had to be courageous, dominating — no pain, no emotions, with the exception of anger — and definitely no fear; that men are in charge, which means women are not; that men lead, and you should just follow and do what we say; that men are superior; women are inferior; that men are strong; women are weak; that women are of less value, property of men, and objects, particularly sexual objects. I’ve later come to know that to be the collective socialization of men, better known as the “man box.”

He believes that the socialization of men has strongly influenced the gender dynamics and issues we see today. Manhood has become problematic not only for women, but for men as well. He very carefully explains that although not all men are violent, not all men abuse women or see them as inferior, but “men, good men, the large majority of men, we operate on the foundation of this whole collective socialization. We kind of see ourselves separate, but we’re very much a part of it.”

Mr. Porter believes that to end the epidemic of violence against women, we have to change the nature of masculinity. How would this change our youth, our boys?

I remember asking a nine-year-old boy, I asked a nine-year-old boy, “What would life be like for you, if you didn’t have to adhere to this man box?” He said to me, “I would be free.”

I Did Not Know That People Like Me Could Exist…

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Chimamanda Adichie is a rockin’ novelist from Nigeria. In her TedTalk, Chimamanda shares her personal story of growing up in Nigeria reading only stories about white children with blonde hair and blue eyes. When she began to write, these characters filled her pages; though she could not relate in any way. As the media around her, books, only portrayed white children in stories, she did not know that people who looked like her could be in literature!

From then on, Chimamanda became aware of these “single stories” we develop about people and places. When we only portray people or places in a single way, they become stereotypes. These stereotypes then dominate the identities we create about others and ourselves.

Although Chimamanda speaks to Africa, the same theories can be applied to the United States, most notably, African-Americans. From the historic beginnings of black face to the more recent token person of color, the portrayal of African-Americans by mainstream media has been poor. While we may naively assume that this is contained to only fictional movies and television shows, it is not. The news and social media have been prominent aggravators of the single story surrounding African-Americans. A recent example of this is the viral video of a New York man slapping a woman on the train after being insulted and hit (read more on my JET post here).

Having these stereotypes continually presented to our youth affect their self-development. As Chimamanda says, “The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete”. Without the full story we cannot properly mentor and support our youth. Without analyzing communities, schools, and society we cannot begin to understand the family or the youth. We must search for the full story.

How do we do this as mentors, parents, teachers, friends, or community members? WE TALK TO OUR YOUTH! They can provide us their stories.

Do not fall for the danger of the single story.

How will you create an alternate ending?