November 2024 — Moving the Needle // Woods Fund Chicago
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Woods Fund Chicago joins our partners, peers, and communities in processing the events of the last month — as well as the work ahead.
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While the devastating effects of white supremacy persist in this country regardless of who is in office, we know our grantee partners may face more challenges than ever in their fight for racial and economic justice across education, housing, labor, reproductive health, immigration, and so much more.
Our commitment as funders is to support our grantee partners and learn from and alongside them to understand the complexities of these issues and what is required of all of us to challenge white supremacy and achieve true justice for all.
Earlier this year, WFC Program Officer Bahati Aimee joined a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border to learn firsthand about the specific challenges Black migrants face. Bahati reflects on the economic and foreign policy conditions that lead to displacement, the uphill battle of the U.S. immigration system, and the particular obstacles Black migrants — especially Black women — experience due to systemic anti-Black racism, relating to her own experience as a refugee.
Bahati's call to action for philanthropy to support Black migrants and provide more responsible migrant funding is emblematic of the initiative we must take as funders (and community members) throughout the coming years. There may be greater challenges to the key community organizing work of our partners ahead, but our commitment to fighting for racial justice is unwavering, regardless of the administration, and will continue until that justice is achieved.
Join us in reading Bahati's reflection and rising to her call to action.
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This past June, through my involvement with the Illinois Immigration Funders Collaborative, a pooled fund that provides grant dollars to organizations serving immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, I had the unique opportunity to visit the southern border between San Diego, California, and Tijuana, Mexico. There, I witnessed firsthand the experiences of migrants from around the world seeking asylum in the United States. The trip was organized by the United African Organization (based in Chicago) and hosted by Haitian Bridge Alliance (based in San Diego) — both of which are deeply involved in providing direct services, legal aid, and advocacy for Black migrant communities. The primary goal of this visit was to gain a deeper understanding of the specific challenges Black migrants face as they navigate the U.S. immigration system at the border and within the country.
As I listened to stories of resilience, hardship, and hope, I couldn’t help but reflect on how familiar these experiences were to my own, to my family’s, and to the refugee communities I grew up in. Migrants and displaced people arriving at the southern U.S. border have endured long, dangerous journeys, each leaving behind difficult circumstances and their beloved homes in the hope of securing a safe and more stable life. Many come from diverse places, yet commune with a shared goal: to find safety, documentation, and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in the United States.
Displacement is neither random nor isolated; long-term push factors such as economic instability and political unrest, often shaped by U.S. foreign policy, have directly contributed to the destabilization of regions, particularly in Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Once in the U.S., migrants face complex legal systems, language barriers, and economic insecurity, further limiting their opportunities, while fear of detainment and deportation multiplies these challenges, leaving many migrants vulnerable to exploitation and economic insecurity.
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Left image: Preparing food and material delivery to shelters in Tijuana, Mexico; Right image:
Visiting Tijuana, Mexico border wall
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The need for immediate support for all migrants is undeniable; further, Black migrants face even greater obstacles along these journeys and at the border.
Philanthropy can and must take on an active role by examining its own practices and committing to funding strategies that specifically include and empower Black migrants. Let us hold ourselves accountable and invest in lasting change by centering those most impacted by exclusion and anti-Black racism within the immigration system.
Here are several key actions philanthropy can take to support leaders and organizations serving migrants, especially those serving Black migrants and creating lasting systemic change.
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The final weeks of the year signify a joyful season for many, but for nonprofit workers, this season brings a significant source of burnout: End-of-year fundraising.
It’s no secret that fundraising is the engine that keeps nonprofit organizations moving, but with the energy devoted to donor development, the engine can feel like it’s stalling in place; nonprofits rely on donations to maintain their work while the fundraising hustle takes up staff time and resources that could otherwise go toward moving the work forward. This is especially true following an impactful election where organizations focused on systemic change are caught between reacting to the urgent needs of their communities, appealing to the issues that matter to donors, and meeting the requirements of various funding sources — from restricted grants that may not reflect the organization’s programmatic priorities, to administrative hoops that require full-time attention.
Woods Fund Chicago holds a commitment to trust-based philanthropy to put control and energy back into the power of our grantee partners. We challenge the status quo of philanthropy and implore our fellow funders to take the fundraising pressure off of nonprofit partners, empowering them to dedicate their energy to direct action and furthering their missions. Nonprofit burnout often affects those who are already disproportionately harmed by capitalism. As funders, we have the power to remove burdens that worsen the risk of burnout. We cannot dismantle the fundraising hustle overnight, but the best gift we can give to our partners is to trust them in their work and disrupt the traditional power imbalance between grantee and funder. We must break the “charity” mindset and operate as partners — year-round — in working toward the futures we wish to see.
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November is observed as National Native American Heritage Month in the United States. To recognize this celebration and think critically about the relationship between Indigenous history in the U.S. and the approach of Thanksgiving, we are looking to readings and resources shared by the Chicago American Indian Community Collaborative (a WFC grantee partner) and the collaborative’s member groups:
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#1 — No Rest: The Epidemic of Stolen Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirits
Why We're Reading It: The Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum (formerly the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian) provides additional context and resources to accompany their exhibit bringing attention to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) Movement. The No Rest exhibit (featuring 35 original works from 12 collaborating Indigenous artists) has been extended through December 30, 2024.
Read about the museum's newly announced name and renaming process here.
The Gichigamiin Indigenous Nations Museum // Read now
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#2 — Adversity and Resiliency for Chicago’s First: The State of Racial Justice for American Indian Chicagoans
Why We're Reading It: In 2019, UIC’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy (IRRPP) developed a comprehensive report on the state of racial justice for Native Americans in Chicago across: Population, Housing, (Mis)Representations of American Indians in Popular Culture, Education, Economics, and Justice. The report remains a crucial call to action as gaps persist in addressing issues specific to Indigenous and Native American Chicagoans.
IRRPP // Read now
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#3 — 30 Days of Indigenous Syllabus
Why We're Reading It: Northwestern University's Native American & Indigenous Initiatives utilizes its role in higher education to provide an accessible and extensive overview of Indigenous history, culture, care, and futures — from the history of the Land Back movement to exploring works of Indigenous science fiction.
Northwestern University // Read now
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#1 — FIRSTHAND: Homeless — Invisible No More
Why We’re Watching It: Shelly Tucciarelli of Visionary Ventures joins a wider conversation about homelessness in Chicago by discussing the city’s history of displaced Indigenous communities and the road to building the first affordable housing development for Native Americans in Chicago.
WTTW // Read now
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