Social Justice

"Artists are the free thinkers and the first movers of culture, and culture is the basis of belief and action. To support an artist’s idea—to help realize new work—is to set into motion a new worldview. This is the exciting role philanthropy can play in creating a freer, more sustainable, and equitable society, said Christine Kuan for artnet news. "Today, the narratives that shape our laws, policies, and daily life are disproportionately dominated by a subset of the population. From museums and the art market to Hollywood, the old story remains that only a small percentage of artists represented are women and artists of color. White men make up 30 percent of the U.S. population, but represent most museum acquisitions, art market sales, and Hollywood film directors. Yet, museums, auction houses, and cinemas are downstream from the primary issue, which is: Who gets funded to make art?"

"In public health, we often talk about 'closing the gap in health inequities' in order to create conditions for optimal health for all. These discussions reflect a growing consensus that health is a human right, which sets the stage for a shared vision of health justice," said Nineequa Blanding for Nonprofit Quarterly. "They also mirror ongoing efforts to achieve racial equity by addressing structural racism and its attendant injustices, in the process expanding the health focus from the individual to the collective and society. These conversations and the work they inspire position the field of public health as a major actor in helping to protect, promote, and preserve our well-being."

From PolicyLink: "This labor of love is guided by the brilliance of 56 grassroots organizers and housing advocates who came together during 2022 to define and build a housing justice narrative. We recognize that in this moment, we have both the resources and the will to create a future in which every person has all their basic needs met."

"Executives in professional social justice institutions, grassroots activists in local movements, and fiery young radicals on protest lines are all advancing urgent concerns about the internal workings of progressive spaces," said Maurice Mitchell for The Forge. "The themes arising are surprisingly consistent. Many claim that our spaces are 'toxic' or 'problematic,' often sharing compelling and troubling personal anecdotes as evidence of this. People in leadership are finding their roles untenable, claiming it is 'impossible' to execute campaigns or saying they are in organizations that are 'stuck.'"

From the MacArthur Foundation: Kristen Mack, Vice President, Communications, Fellows, and Partnerships, shares thinking on umbrella terms, which are intended to be inclusive but often come up short when discussing complex and evolving identities.

From Filmmaker Magazine: "The conversation about documentary impact has undergone a number of shifts since impact producing began to emerge as a practice within the documentary field around 20 years ago. Today it is almost expected that a social issue documentary film will be accompanied by an impact campaign to help ensure its story will reach audiences and motivate them towards social change, deeper engagement with a story’s themes and further learning."

From Creative Generation: "During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Ashraf and Jeff reflect on disrupting the field of community foundations through Ashraf’s interview with Celeste Smith, Senior Program Manager for Arts and Culture at The Pittsburgh Foundation, and Jonathan Cunningham, Senior Program Officer at Seattle Foundation. In this episode, you’ll hear conversations about systemic change in the way community foundations fund projects and smaller, BIPOC-led organizations, as well as how some foundations are funding beyond trauma and instead focusing on joy." Listen to the episode here.

From Pop Culture Collaborative: "It was 2018, in the last few hours of ENTERTAIN CHANGE, a two-day learning and relationship-building gathering for pop culture narrative change field members. Hosted by the Pop Culture Collaborative, ENTERTAIN CHANGE took place at the gorgeous ARRAY campus in Los Angeles, the creative home of award-winning film director and producer Ava DuVernay."

"The plan had been for participants to go on break while 10 long tables were combined to form one communal farm table for our final meal together. But as the best-laid plans sometimes go (as in, they don’t), our previous session ran long. But at that moment, when our plans looked like they were about to fall apart, something beautiful happened."

From ARTnews: "For the first time in two decades, the American Alliance of Museums, an organization that oversees policies around museums in the U.S., will update standards that apply to museum workforces related to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI)"

"The museum group has detailed plans to establish a new initiative meant to implement the standards. The organization will appoint an advisory panel made up of six to eight experts in the museum space to draw up the new DEAI standards over the course of the next three years. The initiative, the organization said in a statement, is backed by a $740,000 government grant distributed by the Institute of Museum and Library Services."

From Philadelphia's Cultural Treasures: "The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage in collaboration with The Barra Foundation, Neubauer Family Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and Wyncote Foundation announced today $1,170,000 in fellowships to 12 Philadelphia-area artists and cultural practitioners of color through the Philadelphia’s Cultural Treasures (PCT) funding initiative.  These fellowships are awarded as part of the regional component of America’s Cultural Treasures, an initiative created by the Ford Foundation. The PCT efforts specifically support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) cultural groups, artists, and organizations with exceptional significance to Greater Philadelphia."