Iris Brilliant
Align Your Wealth with Social Justice

Support Black-Led Organizing

Support Black-Led Organizing

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Hi Everyone,

 

I know you are reading the news and are disturbed to witness the slew of murders of Black people at the hands of police, and politicians fanning the flames of anti-Black racism. Perhaps you’ve felt helpless and overwhelmed about what to do, and perhaps you’ve also been inspired by the thousands of people rising up all over the country. As a money coach committed to racial justice, I want to share recommendations on how to align our money to support Black communities to flourish.

 

Let’s start with a visualization: Can you take a moment and imagine a future where racism no longer exists? Really consider it to be possible. What will that feel like in your body? Can you imagine progressive Black leaders leading our country out of white supremacist ways and towards a radical transformation of society? Can you imagine a future where police and prisons are defunded, and where education, health care and other life-giving systems are abundantly funded? What better investment could possibly exist than funding that future?




I invite you to join me in aligning your money with the fight for Black liberation and racial justice. Here are some money-related steps you can take during this time:



1)      Set up multi-year gifts to grassroots organizations that are working for Black liberation. Commit to supporting them for at least three years.

  • Rapid response gifts are important during times of crisis, but it is sustained support of grassroots organizing that will truly help lead to long-term change. After all, racism will not disappear after this year, and the majority of giving that’s happening right will taper off, as we saw the year after Ferguson. Consider giving no more than 10% of your overall giving to rapid response or one-time gifts. 

  • Find organizations that are specifically organizing Black communities, whose staff is majority Black, and who are fighting for long-term systemic change in Black communities. For more on this criteria, check out Resource Generation’s guide on black-led organizing.

2)      Consider giving at least the same level of wealth that the median Black family in the US gives each year- 8%  2 . 

  • How outrageous is it that white families, whose median net wealth is ten times greater than the median Black family net wealth, give away a mere 2% of wealth away? 3 

  • To calculate your net wealth, add up all of your assets (stocks, property, cars), and subtract any debt you have

3)     Divest your stocks from prisons, surveillance technology, and other racist corporations that profit from the targeting and destruction of Black people. 

  • Ensure you are not invested in this list of racist companies (this tool was developed by RISE).  Stop making a profit off of racism.

And of course- if you run into any questions about giving, I’m here to support you to move money to social justice. For quick questions about giving, I will happily respond over e-mail. For more in depth support, check out my website about the services I offer.

Sending care your way,

Iris Brilliant 6/8/20

 
 

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