“The Road to Thriving Black Communities”

The Black Equity Collective Launches with

Webinar and Report Dissemination

Los Angeles, CA, January 26, 2021— On Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 11am, the Black Equity Collective’s official launch will commence with a webinar co-hosted by Southern California Grantmakers, to present: “The Road to Thriving Black Communities”, report co-authored by

by the University of Southern California's Dr. Ange-Marie Hancock-Alfaro (Dornsife) and UCLA’s Black Policy Project. This is the first report commissioned by the Black Equity Collective. Dr. Hancock-Alfaro will moderate a panel discussion with District 8 Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, UCLA’s Black Policy Project Executive Director, Isaac Brayn, and Black Equity Collective’s Founder and Chief Architect, Kaci Patterson.

As the pandemic began to rage last March, the federal government responded to the sudden and steep economic devastation by passing the CARES ACT, which provided a Paycheck Protection Program to businesses and nonprofit organizations financially impacted by COVID-19. However, economic “relief” did not reach Black-owned businesses and Black-led nonprofits in Southern California. The report examines how Black-led nonprofits fared from the CARES ACT and offers recommendations on how future economic recovery efforts must no longer be race-neutral.

“Sustainability efforts must center equity and address systemic issues that contribute to and compound the disparate health and economic outcomes Black communities face during this pandemic,” said Councilmember Harris-Dawson. “Philanthropic leaders must fund and collaborate with organizations on the ground who have the institutional knowledge, expertise and relationships to effectively address the needs within our community at scale.”

“The COVID 19 pandemic has lethally exacerbated social inequities that have long been felt in our communities,” Bryan stated. “For Black residents, an inability for recovery responses to reach those who are most in need is a policy failure. All levels of government, and other sectors, have a responsibility to be aware and engage in a way that is not race neutral. We will never have a full recovery unless those who have been most impacted are centered in decision making.”

The Black Equity Collective is a community-public-private partnership with Black equity as its central, unifying force. Its focus is strengthening the long-term capacity and infrastructure of Black-led and Black-empowering social justice organizations in Southern California.

In August 2020, the Black Equity Collective launched a micro-grant program prioritizing funding for organizations that are both Black-led and Black-empowering, and did not receive PPP funding either because they were ineligible or did not have the capacity to apply. In October 2020, 32 organizations in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, received a one-time $10,000 grant from the Collective.

“We know that colorblind policies and race-neutral programs almost always result in Black communities being ignored,” said Patterson. “Because no one is better equipped to advocate for Black issues than Black people, it’s imperative that we invest in the long-term viability of Black-led social justice organizations. The Collective is the only philanthropic network in California joining funders and nonprofits together to deliver on the promise of systemic equity for Black families and communities and our mission couldn’t be more timely or urgent.”

“Our country and world are at an inflection point - where the inequities that have been present for centuries are surfacing again for transformational remedy,” said Hancock-Alfaro. “Where we go from here - whether we paper over, band-aid, or finally dig them up at the root -- is up to us,”

The Black Equity Collective’s mission is to join funders and communities as partners in strengthening the long-term sustainability of Black-led and Black-empowering organizations in Southern California. It is the only philanthropic network in California with Black equity as its central, unifying force.

The webinar will be held from 11am-12pm PST. Click here to register or watch the Livestream via the Black Equity Collective’s Facebook page.