Black women and femmes are at the center of transformation in America. ​​In their hometowns, states, and nationally, Black women and femmes are resourcing their communities and battling injustice across intersections of oppression. This February, in honor of the history they’ve come from and the world they’re building towards, we lift up some of these outstanding leaders from our network of changemaking grantees. Stay tuned for part two at the end of February.

Alicia Garza

Alicia Garza (she/her) works to make Black people powerful in every aspect of their lives as the Founder & Principal of Black Futures Lab, Black to the Future Action Fund, Co-Creator of #BlackLivesMatter and the Black Lives Matter Global Network, the Strategy & Partnerships Director for the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and the co-founder of Supermajority. 

“The last decade in particular has been shaped by the audacity of Black people. To be free with lives that have dignity, to have our lives respected and valued beyond what we can produce for other people. Power is our birthright.”

Hear her thoughts on politics and pop culture on her podcast Lady Don’t Take No, and take a read of her book The Purpose of Power to discover how to develop movements. Alicia’s Twitter, Instagram.

 

alicia sanchez gill 

alicia sanchez gill (she/ella) knows we can organize ourselves into freedom and helps ensure that organizers on the frontlines have the support they need to build power and transformation through her work as Executive Director of the Emergent Fund. She is a queer, afrolatinx survivor who, for over 15 years, has been organizing across multiple issue areas impacting LGBTQ+ people of color, people with HIV, women, survivors, and sex workers. 

“Black organizers have shifted and expanded the fabric of the universe by showing us what was possible when we invest in liberation… It is never a risk to trust and invest in the leadership of the communities closest to the pain who are creating the solutions.”

For an exploration of the roots of historical violence against communities of color and trends in anti-violence research and service, read alicia’s report, Survivor-Centered Research: Towards an Intersectional Gender-Based Violence Movement. Read more about the participatory model of grantmaking that Emergent Fund uses. alicia’s Twitter, Instagram. 

Ash-Lee Henderson 

Ash-Lee Henderson (she/her) is a Black Appalachian woman, the first Black woman to serve as Co-Executive Director at Highlander Research & Education Center. She has defended workers’ freedoms, reproductive justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmental justice for decades.

“For all of the folks that are broken-hearted, but determined to defend democracy and build a democracy where all people are free – I see you, I love you. For Louisville, for the Movement for Black Lives, for country kids, for Appalachia, for the Southern Freedom Movement – Black lives matter. Abolish the police department that murdered Breyona Taylor.”

Hear her speak on how the South has always been at the center of movements in her interview, Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson on truths and lies we tell about Appalachia and the South. Ash-lee’s Twitter, Instagram.

 

Fatima Goss Graves 

Fatima Goss Graves (she/her) has fought to combat harassment and sexual assault, eliminate barriers in employment, education, health, and reproductive rights and to lift women out of poverty, with a focus on women and girls of color. After over a decade of work at the National Women’s Law Center, she stepped up as their President and CEO in 2017. 

“I’m the first lawyer in my family. But I think I knew pretty early that I wanted to use the law for good. I grew up learning about the law through the stories of my father’s family, where they took on Knoxville, Tennessee, public schools successfully to desegregate them. I’m excited that I’m able to bring a legal hat and an advocate hat to my work in a rich and vibrant movement that is reenergized and driving meaningful change for women in this country.”

Read Fatima’s opinion piece The roots of our child care crisis are in the legacy of slavery to understand the history behind modern childcare and why it must be recognized as the backbone of our society. Fatima’s Twitter, Instagram. 

Mariah Moore

Mariah Moore (she/her) co-founded the House of Tulip, a non-profit collective that provides housing for trans and gender nonconforming folks, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and left New Orleans’ most vulnerable residents even more exposed. As a National Organizer with the Transgender Law Center, she works towards equity, equality, and safety for the transgender community, especially Black transgender women.

“Never give up. Never be ashamed of where you come from or what you’ve done. Be proud of who you are.”

In 2021, Mariah ran for the New Orleans City Council. Watch her campaign video to hear some of her own story and her vision for New Orleans. Mariah’s Instagram.

 

 

Renee Bracey Sherman 

Renee Bracey Sherman (she/her) is among the most vital voices in elevating the conversation about abortion experiences. She is the founder and Executive Director of We Testify, an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have had abortions.

“It is paramount that we fight for reproductive justice and bodily autonomy at the same time we fight for Black liberation. As activists attempt to reverse the tide of abortion restrictions, it would be a mistake not to make racial and economic injustice central themes in the reproductive rights movement going forward. Lives depend on it.”

For her thoughts on the power of abortion storytelling and the roots of the anti-abortion movement, read Renee’s recent interview with Huff Post, The Unapologetic Abortion Storyteller. Renee’s Twitter, Instagram. 

 

Quita Tinsley Peterson 

Quita Tinsley Peterson (they/them) is the Co-Director of Access Reproductive Care – Southeast, an abortion fund that resources people seeking abortion care but can’t access it because of logistical or financial barriers. Quita is a Black, queer, femme who writes, organizes, and fights for reproductive justice and queer liberation in the South. 

“We have to do Reproductive Justice work to build power in our communities because it’s people who are living in poverty, it’s people who are queer and trans, it’s young people, it’s BIPOC people who are the most impacted. We know this is systemic so we need to attack the system.”

Read Quita’s co-authored article, The future of abortion access lies with us, to understand how abortion funds are building the systems communities need to care for themselves. Quita’s Twitter.

 

 

These women and femmes are bringing this country into a new future. As a donor network, we stand in solidarity with their movements and aim to support them in a more equitable way – our goal is for our philanthropy to reflect the equality and justice they are building towards. 

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The people featured in this blog are leaders of organizations that the Women Donors Network is proud to support. Learn more about our grantmaking and how we are moving towards more equity in our work through trust-based philanthropy.

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