The Chronicle of Philanthropy published an op-ed by the Transforming Movements Fund’s Program Officer Alejandra Martinez and Program Associate Ana Conner about how philanthropy can support young, LGBTQ leaders building inclusive movements.
In the op-ed, Ale and Ana discuss how young, queer leaders are the driving force behind inclusive movement building that connects issues like gun violence, police reform, immigrant rights, and more. From #NeverAgain to the Movement for Black Lives to students organizing for police reform in Providence, these leaders are making connections between seemingly disconnected social justice issues and winning major victories—and it’s their LGBTQ identity that is driving their organizing strategy.
Read an excerpt from their piece:
“For years, people in power and the mainstream media have divided struggles against gun violence into categories: worthy versus unworthy of our attention and those that involve “innocent” victims versus those involving people who would bring harm upon themselves.
But young people leading the #NeverAgain movement are changing the narrative, making obvious and unmistakable the connections between their experiences — gun violence in schools, gun violence on our streets, gun violence carried out by police, and more.
What’s often unrecognized is that it’s young, queer people who are a driving force behind making these connections — and their queer identity is instrumental, not incidental, to their leadership.
…
At Borealis Philanthropy, our Transforming Movements Fund offers a model for supporting young, LGBTQ leaders like those in Providence who want to work across issues and movements. The fund — supported by the Ford, Arcus, Overbrook, and Cricket Island foundations; the Foundation for a Just Society; and anonymous donors — grew out of the realization that young, visionary LGBTQ leaders are often a driving force behind movements for immigrant rights, police accountability, reproductive justice, and other social-justice issues.
That’s why we have been investing in the leaders who are the main force in building inclusive movements that embrace alliances and intersecting identities.”
Click here to read the entire op-ed.