News

System Failure: What the 2020 Primary Elections reveal about our democracy

June 1, 2021 /

The Reflective Democracy Campaign today released an analysis of the 2020 US primary elections by race and gender — a detailed look at who ran for office and who won, by race, gender, and incumbency status. The report, titled System Failure: What the 2020 Primary Elections reveal about our democracy, explores the causes of white […]

A photo of WDN member Amanda Coslor, she has short brown hair, blue eyes, and is smiling slightly at the camera. She wears an orange sweater and is outside in front of a bush.

Caring At The Very Beginning: Transforming Our World Through Birth Justice

WDN member Amanda Coslor joined us for a Q&A on birth justice as an often overlooked way to transform society. You are heavily involved in the birth justice movement. You are the seed funder and a board member of the Birth Justice Fund at Groundswell Fund, one of the largest birth justice funders in the country, and the Thriving […]

ID: dark blue background with the words "advance AAPI Power"

More Than 6% of the Population But Less Than 1% of Elected Officials?

May 5, 2021 /

By: Brenda Choresi Carter, Campaign Director, The Reflective Democracy Campaign The Reflective Democracy Campaign has just released our first-of-its kind report mapping AAPI political leadership in the USA, #advanceAAPIpower.  Against the backdrop of mounting anti-Asian violence, we found that the AAPI community is the most politically under-represented demographic group in America, even in states with […]

Photo of WDN member Sage Wheeler, a white women wearing glasses and a purple scarf. She has shoulder-length grey hair and smiles at the camera.

Tending to Self through Change with Member Sage Wheeler

May 4, 2021 /

You run your own business, Sage Coaching, to support women going through transitions. What key message do you communicate to women going through changes or challenges?   First off, this past year has thrown all of our nervous systems into varying stages of fight, flight, or freeze. Understand that we are our nervous system and begin with […]

Photo of Representative Barbara Lee, a Black woman with short textured hair, standing on a podium and smiling and waving. She is wearing a yellow jacket and orange shirt

Barbara Jean Lee: The Lone Voice

By: Kathryn Snyder, WDN Director of Programs & Initiatives This month, WDN had the honor of hosting a screening of Abby Ginzberg’s documentary Truth to Power: Barbara Lee Speaks for Me, followed by a live panel with Representative Barbara Lee and Abby Ginzberg, moderated by Lateefah Simon, President of the Akonadi Foundation. These three women together spoke […]

Justice is More than a Verdict

April 20, 2021 /

Statement by Donna Hall, President & CEO, Women Donors Network We send love and strength to Minneapolis today, to the family and community of George Floyd. Real justice would mean George Floyd would still be alive today. Our collective breath was taken away from all of us the moment we witnessed the murder of George […]

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Shifting Power Through Participatory Grantmaking

April 15, 2021 /

Image credit: Tim Mossholder We are hungry for change. Hungry for new approaches. And most importantly, we are hungry for shifts in power. Now more than ever is the time to interrogate our most commonly held practices, and one such practice is the approach we take to allocating funds for our grantmaking. Attorney Bryan Stevenson, author […]

Photo of Sharon Chen, an asian woman with short grey hair smiling at the camera. She is wearing a green shirt with a white collar. The background of the photo is orange.

WDN Board Treasurer Sharon Chen Is Stepping Into Power By Sharing It

April 8, 2021 /

Your background is in computer science engineering and you worked at Microsoft for 12 years. You’re also incredibly involved in philanthropy, political activism, and environmental justice. How has your career propelled your philanthropic and activist journey? As a young Asian female in tech in the 90’s who was one of three women in my class […]

Image of a woman in front of an iron gate. She is wearing a tan shirt and black pants, leaning slightly against a wall, and smiling at the camera.

Meet Nadia Ismail: She’s leveling the playing field inside and outside of business

March 25, 2021 /

You’ve worked professionally in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for over seven years. Can you share more about why you’ve chosen DEI as your professional focus? What DEI lessons do you think the world of philanthropy needs to learn? I began my work in learning and development and discovered that that work on its own […]

A sign in a window that reads Racism is a Pandemic. Photo by Jon Tyson

Stand United to Stop Hate Against the AAPI Community

March 11, 2021 /

Image credit: Jon Tyson We believe everyone should be able to live a secure, peaceful, and productive life. We must work to build a more balanced society and economy that removes obstacles for people struggling to make ends meet, and ensure that all people enjoy basic human rights and freedom from discrimination, violence, and oppression. […]

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