Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser

Dear John,

As Black History Month comes to a close, I’m reflecting on the history being written by Black feminists right now. This month, we celebrated Black Girl Freedom Week, which aims to raise awareness for the Black Girl Freedom Fund’s #1Billion4BlackGirls campaign. This campaign, which Ms. Foundation President & CEO Teresa C. Younger co-founded, is a 10-year philanthropic initiative designed to invest in Black girls and their families.

Across the country, our grantee partners are making pregnancy safer for Black pregnant people. They’re challenging systems that disproportionately separate Black children from their families. They’re prioritizing rest for Black grassroots leaders. They’re advancing gender and racial justice for us all.

In the words of Angela Davis, “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”

Tomorrow’s history is happening today, and Black feminists are leading the way.

In solidarity,

Ruth McFarlane
Chief Advancement Officer

Items in this newsletter:

Ms. in the News
Grantee Partner Spotlight: A Woman’s Way
CEO on the Move
New Virtual Series: Women + Justice: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
2023 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards

Ms. in the News

Our landmark report, Pocket Change, continues to break ground and serve as an important reference for its data and information about the national funding landscape for women and girls of color, and how philanthropy can do better. The 19th covered Black Girl Freedom Week and included Pocket Change insights, which serve as a foundational part of the need for this work.

The Associated Press recently cited Pocket Change in a story about some of philanthropy's most influential organizations writing an open letter calling for increased support of Black feminists. Read the story now.

Grantee Spotlight: A Woman’s Way

For Sakina O’Uhuru, Executive Director of grantee partner A Woman's Way, midwifery was a calling. Her organization provides resources for safe, healthy birthing and helps carry on the storied tradition of midwifery.

"My grandmother was a midwife who assisted my mother giving birth to me at home. I believe practicing the art of midwifery honors her work and truly is my life purpose."

CEO on the Move

President & CEO Teresa C. Younger participated in a roundtable discussion on the 30th Anniversary of the Family and Medical Leave Act at the White House. In honor of Black History Month, the White House gathered Black women leaders to discuss how the FMLA, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, and PUMP Act have and will continue to benefit Black women, Black families, and Black communities.

Teresa also joined a Female Quotient panel on what it takes for Black women to show up as their authentic selves and what leaders can do to encourage this.

New Virtual Series: Women + Justice: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

For Women’s History Month and in recognition of our 50th anniversary, we’re thrilled to team up again with the Center for Brooklyn History for a new, thought-provoking “Women + Justice” series that will explore the intersecting struggle for gender equality and racial justice.

This series will be presented in two parts: Part I looks at the past, while part II looks at the struggle today and into the future.

Panelists across both programs include groundbreaking cartoonist Barbara Brandon-Croft, feminist legal scholar Patricia J. Williams, former Ms. Foundation leader Sara K. Gould, Native American lawyer and playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle, abolitionist activist Andrea Ritchie, and Ms. Foundation President and CEO Teresa C. Younger.

Join us!

2023 Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards

Get ready! The Ms. Foundation will celebrate 50 years of progress and power at the Women of Vision Awards on May 16, 2023 at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. This year’s event will explore the past, present and future of the Ms. Foundation and feminist movements, while raising funds and awareness of the organization’s strategic, equity-centered initiatives.

Save the date if you haven’t already, and stay tuned over the next few weeks for more info on featured honorees and how to purchase tickets.