CRE 151 Black Women Activists and Harvard

 

Black women have historically played a key role in protecting voting rights and urging their communities to vote.

Deborah Scott Atlanta help found Georgia Stand-Up -nonpartisan civic engagement organization

Harvard’s provide leaders with tools to run their organization, navigate spaces that often are unwelcoming.

1.      The program, -Power, Innovation and Leadership -executive education program out of Harvard

Of the 24 women, in the inaugural cohort some ran community organization, some led wealth equity projects, others were involved in politics.

2.      LaTosha Brown -national civil rights activists founded the program

3.      Their work focused on the South -historically a hostile environment for Black people, slow to address disparities

4.      Took place January 2023 in person Harvard orientation, followed by weekly online sessions, lasting four months, as women returned to campus for intense sessions, and soul stirring dinner event and uplifting closing ceremony

5.      The women kept in touch, supporting each other

6.      Plans underway for next group in January 2024 consisting of 40 leaders from across the globe

a.      A three year initiative created to network of 100 leders working and helping Black women and girls in South to the next level.

7.      Challenging conventional wisdom

a.      Using authentic voices assessing sources of power, overcoming entrenched power, and building and maintaining your networks

b.      Smaller groups met online to discuss leadership challenges each faced

c.      Emotional testimonies -each women unveiled her challenge

d.      Some in real time, others that occurred years ago..many painful

8.      One of the participants Janelle Williams -CEO of the Atlanta Wealth Building Initiative

a.      Aims to close racial wealth gaps

b.      This is the first program with only Black women who are mission aligned

c.      A community first, with sisters grounded in a space to show up, despite traditional Ivy towers invites..it was refreshing.

9.      Emergence of an Idea -developed from initial meeting between Brown and Battilana in 2019 as fellows at the Institute of Politics at Harvard’s Kennedy Schgool

10.  Brittilana -professor at Harvard’s Business School and Kennedy School

11.  The Black Voters Matter organization cofounded byh Brown is credited with helping turn out record numbers of Black voters across the South

12.  The executive education program merged Brown’s grassroots organizing skills with Battilana expertise running the Social Innovation +Change Initiative -a program for social changemakers from around the world

13.  Brown also founder of truth Speaks Innovation foundation where she hoped to raise $450,000 needed for the initiative..she got a $50k gant from the Ligra Foundation and another $100k from the Highland foundation -she provided the rest..because she believed in the project.

14.  Standing up and asking for help

a.      Since the Harvard program ended Scott and classmates make regular check ins

                                                              i.      They show up on Whatsapp and chat and talk of a retreat

15.  You ar so ready for this -the program was a form of group therapy

16.  Some of the black women participants revealed that they had faced dangers, including death threats for their work

17.  Struggles of Black women getting funding and the sting of anti-Black sentiments that harken to the 1960s

18.  Lessons for life -

a.       

 

 

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