Blog

Today, our hearts are with Breonna Taylor's grief-stricken family and her community. Once again, Black Americans have been let down by our justice system. Too often, stereotypes, biases, and racial oppression are embedded in our laws and public policies, and women of color suffer most from these inequities, and all women suffer as a result. Not only does this have a devastating impact on women's lives, but it also hurts families, communities, future generations, and our entire economy. 
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When I heard the news last night of Justice Ginsburg’s passing, I immediately thought of you, my colleagues at the Women’s Fund. I am writing to share with you how devastated I am by the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was exceptional in so many ways, but for me, it is her fight for equal justice, and in particular, for the rights of women under the law, that is her enduring legacy. She was a role model for me, as she was to countless other women and men, and she changed my life, though she didn't know it.
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“And so, what I believe is that having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man.” -Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
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When Dr. Christle Nwora, 26, was applying for her medical residency — the hands-on training that immediately follows medical school — she knew that every facet of her education would be subject to scrutiny like her grades and her performance on rotations. But she also worried that parts of her identity and appearance beyond her control would be judged, too.
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Close your eyes and let me paint an image for you: It’s dinner time. You have two children at home and you are making pasta or mac & cheese for the third or fourth time this week. Your landlord has just knocked on the door asking you for the rest of your rent which you don’t have, and you also need to put gas in your car to go to an interview. You just cannot dig yourself of this hole. This interview could be the start of it, but bills are piling up, rent is constantly weighing on you, but you just don’t know what you are going to do.
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The RI General Assembly is bound to convene at some point as we reopen Rhode Island, and among their top priorities should be the Rhode Island Early Educator Investment Act (H 7271, S 2462, S 2630). This bill will establish a collaboration between the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the RI Department of Education (RIDE) to determine a target wage scale for early childhood educators and develop strategies for implementation. The goal will be to create a path to fair wages with the assistance of public funds.
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It is time to dismantle acts of racism, discrimination, and police brutalities that have been perpetrated against communities of black and brown for so long in our country. It is incumbent upon us to act accordingly and identify ways that we can help to put an end, once and for all, to the issues that have plagued our community for generations.
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“If you don't have to think about it, it is probably a privilege you have.” White privilege has been overlooked for centuries as individuals have functioned, incognizant of the benefits of their positions of power, in a world designed to benefit them. As recent events have unfolded, the realities of life without white privilege have become blatantly obvious. Though racial privilege is manifested in so many ways, it remains a topic I don't fully understand and that I know those around me do not either. This can make it difficult to find the “right way” to communicate about it. But in order to care about and have a passion for making the world a more equitable place, a basic level of understanding is a prerequisite. A lack of understanding is not an excuse for inaction when it comes to demanding that all human rights be respected.
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As women's funds, foundations, and gender justice funders, we cannot erase the image of Mr. Floyd calling for his mother. We understand that the outcomes of state violence are woven deeply into Black women's experience. There is no gender justice without racial justice.
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According to the Bureau of Labor, 83% of people working in the field of social work are women. Additionally, the field is often described as a “female majority, male-dominated” occupation due to the distribution of power among most social workers. That is staggering! As someone who has spent time working with at-risk teens in a wilderness setting and with their families in their homes, this gender stratification has been my experience as well. I and the majority of my colleagues are female, though all members of the board of directors that I work with are male.
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