What did you most appreciate about the space that was created through REED?

• “I really appreciated this learning series. Particularly during these collectively turbulent and uncertain times, not only is holding space for rest and healing needed – it is a revolutionary act.”
• “What I appreciated about the space was that I realized that I was not alone. I wanted to just be angry about how artists of color have been treated and I didn’t feel there was anything that I could do to change the systemic racism in my country.  But we were not allowed to languish in that helplessness.  The focus on joy and personal health took a while for me to embrace, but when I did it was liberating.  I also grew to enjoy reading the objectives each time we gathered because I began to ponder what those objectives truly met.  I now use that process in my class because my students need to see where they are in the process. I have a new appreciation and joy for the persons I have met and hopefully will meet them again in person.”
• “I most appreciated having an opportunity to hear from my peers in the field – the learnings + validation I receive is inspiring and grounding. I get a lot of ideas from folks across the country that include perspectives I would not necessarily get from my region of the country.”
• “I appreciated the intentionality in planning the sessions, the topics and the follow-up emails with additional resources. I also appreciated the compensation to participate in the sessions.”
• “[The spaces created through REED were] such a welcomed change for how professionals can meet and gather. It invited me to reimagine how online meetings can feel and ways to make connections with like-minded individuals and organizations.”

What from REED would you recommend to other funders in the field who are doing other similar convenings or capacity-support efforts?

• “I would recommend providing stipends to participants and facilitators, asking for recommendations for speakers from grantees, and including participants in shaping the content for each session.”
• “I would recommend Reed – I think communication has been great, the stipends have been helpful in being able to ensure I can participate.”
• “The stipends did help a great deal because I don’t know about others, but many times I am asked to participate on panels, but no money is offered because it is my social responsibility to participate. There is a saying that all African American artists that came up in the 60’s and 70’s are social workers at heart.  We feel responsible.  I would have participated without the stipend, but the stipend said what I had to say was important, my time was important, and my presence was important.”
• “My hope is that these spaces will become common practice and that funders continue to provide participants with stipends to honor the time and intention they bring into these spaces.”

 REED Resources
Throughout the sessions, the group and guest speakers shared the following resources related to the learning topics the group chose.

Changing Organizational Practices to Confront Anti-Black Racism

• Anti-Racist HR Guidebook
• Nonprofit Quarterly articles on How to Be an Antiracist Supervisor and Liberating Human Resources
• Design Impact’s Cultural Statements
• Babe Kawaii-Bogue’s Combating Anti-Blackness and White Supremacy in Organizations
• Gender Decoder

 Prioritizing Rest and Healing

• Nap Ministry
• From Collective Trauma to Healing & Transformation article (including “Resonance Story” practice shared partway through the article), by Dr. Yabome Gilpin-Jackson
• “Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously.” – Prentis Hemphill (explore Prentis’ work here)
• Arthur Frank’s “The Wounded Storyteller”
• Tools to come back to your body, shared by Bianca Edwards: Patting, tapping, generative somatics
• A Framework For Healing-Centered Community Development
• Women of Wakanda
• National Public Housing Museum Story Circle Toolkit

Divesting from Oppressive Systems and Creating a New Reality

• The Woman’s Roots description of programs and services
• Hood Century’s efforts to preserve Black history and culture through architecture
• United Colours’ Education Center and Learning Institute
• Intelligent Mischief’s creative and design work to unleash Black imagination to shape the future
• Movement for Black Lives’ Black Futures Month video and website to imagine a world in which Black communities are free and self-determined
• Move to End Violence’s guided visualization

REED Principles
The REED group co-created these principles and grounded each gathering in a group-led reading of each principle.

• Why race: We lead with race because race is the greatest predictor of how one fares in areas such as health, wealth, career, education, and civic participation.
• Why focus on anti-Black racism: Anti-Blackness is at the root of racism. Therefore, we make explicit anti-Black racism, which both voids Blackness of value, while systematically marginalizing Black people and their issues.
• Why racial justice: We seek to advance racial justice where there is the systemic fair treatment of people from all races through proactive reinforcement of policies, practices, attitudes, and actions that produce equitable power, access, opportunities, treatment, impacts, and outcomes.
• Why liberation: We seek to transform the conditions of our society so that we all can live into our full abundance and self-worth.
• Why not white-centered: We actively center the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color in our conversations and use intentional racial identity-based spaces to do our respective work.
• Why joy: We refrain from reducing experiences into singular narratives of victimhood and intentionally lift up joy and resilience in who we are, in our stories, and in how we connect with others.
• Why arts and culture: We see culture and creativity as core drivers of more just communities.