On Philanthropy: Equity through Philanthropy

This Black History Month, give to an organization working for social justice

Contributed by AFPSEWI
Milwaukee Business Journal, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 Issue

This black history month, let’s remember the pandemic that has plagued our country long before the Coronavirus.

2021 has made racial inequities more apparent than ever. Black Americans are dying at a rate of 6 times faster than their white counterparts. Essential workers are disproportionately people of color. Physical distancing, the most effective way of stopping the spread alongside wearing a mask, is not an option for many. The combination of inequitable access to healthcare, historically rooted mistrust in the medical system, and lack of access to the vaccine have resulted in shockingly low vaccination rates for communities of color. In our state alone, while 10% of white residents have been vaccinated just 3% of black residents have received the vaccine.

The Black Lives Matter movement is about recognizing the inequities that people of color face and working for social change so that all Americans can enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

At the same time a virus rages in our community a light emerges. We have just elected the first Black and Asian American to the second highest office in our country. As Victor Glover, spends an extended stay on the international space station we must remember:

“There’s always light, if only we are brave enough to see it. If only we are brave enough to be it”  - Amanda Gorman, Inaugrial Poet

On Philanthropy appears monthly in the Milwaukee Business Journal for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter.  This month’s column is contributed by Ellen Wilkinson, Director of Administration, St. Anthony School Milwaukee.