Legal Education, Advocacy, and Defense (LEAD)
Initiative aims to protect progress on racial
justice
SILICON VALLEY, Calif.,
May 22,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Black Freedom
Fund today announced the Legal Education, Advocacy, and Defense
(LEAD) for Racial Justice initiative, providing racial justice
organizations in California with
resources and support to navigate an onslaught of unfounded legal
threats by right-wing extremists. The first-of-its-kind initiative
will provide legal education and accessible tools to help hundreds
of nonprofit organizations and philanthropic institutions navigate
the legal landscape, prepare for this pivotal moment, and chart a
path forward.
"The racial justice movement is under attack by opponents who
want to stop our progress," said Marc Philpart, Executive
Director of the California Black Freedom Fund. "While racial
justice efforts remain legal and necessary, opponents to
affirmative action are sowing confusion and fear. LEAD aims to
provide the tailored guidance and information organizations need at
this moment."
LEAD is spearheaded by the California Black Freedom Fund, which
raises and distributes resources, builds capacity, and strengthens
relationships to support and sustain Black power-building and
movement-based organizations. LEAD will ensure nonprofits and
foundations serving Black communities and communities of color have
ongoing legal analysis, in-depth training, and a bank of legal
support hours and pro bono representation. Legal partners for LEAD
are Adler & Colvin, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under
Law, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF),
Public Counsel, and Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the
San Francisco Bay Area (LCCR
SF).
"Throughout California, organizations led by those most impacted
have worked tirelessly to push California toward systemic transformation, and
they need our support more than ever," said Kendra Fox-Davis, Chief Program Officer of
Rosenberg Foundation. "LEAD will help organizations and their
funders better understand the legal landscape and our continued
capacity to engage in racial justice programming and grantmaking.
It will ensure that grantees and funder partners can combat
misinformation and double down on our commitment to racial justice.
By equipping these groups with the resources needed to navigate
these challenges, we believe real transformation is possible—and
inevitable."
Support for LEAD is provided by ABFE, Akonadi Foundation, Asian
Pacific Community Foundation, Asian Pacific Fund, California
Community Foundation, East Bay Community Foundation, Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, Hellman
Foundation, Latino Community Foundation, Rosenberg Foundation, San
Francisco Foundation, Schott Foundation, Silicon Valley Community
Foundation, The California Endowment, The James Irvine Foundation,
Tipping Point Community, and Weingart Foundation.
"Over the past decade, we have seen increased commitment by
philanthropy to the cause of undoing the harm of structural racism
and achieving racial justice," said Charles
Fields, Executive Vice President of Programs at The James
Irvine Foundation. "We can't stall or stop now. Instead of
retreating we need to redouble our commitment to bolster movements
that build a California where
everyone belongs and thrives."
"Now more than ever, it is vital for philanthropy to stand with
grassroots leaders committed to building a multi-racial democracy,"
said Julián Castro, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation. "The
Latino Community Foundation is proud to support the California
Black Freedom Fund as it seeks to protect our partners and progress
during this critical moment in our nation's history."
"Organizations dedicated to serving marginalized communities of
color have long played a safety net role, countering systemic
inequities through culturally competent support and capacity
building. The Asian Pacific Fund is a proud supporter of the LEAD
for Racial Justice Initiative," said Carolyn Wang Kong, President and Executive
Director of the Asian Pacific Fund. "The Asian American, Native
Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities will not be used as a
wedge against other communities of color. We are not immune from
attacks and stand in solidarity with other racial justice
organizations to navigate the path forward together."
Emboldened by the United States Supreme Court's June 2023 opinion in the Students for Fair
Admissions cases ("SFFA"), lawsuits against race-based funding and
education efforts are undermining decades of collective efforts to
address structural racism and discrimination for Black communities
and communities of color.
About the California Black Freedom Fund: Launched in
2021, the Black Freedom Fund (BFF) works to ensure that Black
power-building and movement-based organizations in California have the sustained investments and
support they need to eradicate systemic and institutional racism.
Learn more CABlackFreedomFund.org
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content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-black-freedom-fund-launches-new-initiative-to-safeguard-racial-justice-organizations-from-baseless-legal-attacks-302153361.html
SOURCE California Black Freedom Fund