The legacy of grassroots leadership, organizing, and advocacy built during the Civil Rights Era continues to inspire the leaders of today. Prioritizing community-led solutions and systemic equity ensures that those closest to the challenges are driving the solutions. This Black History month we heard from Ratasha Harley and Juanita Banks Whittington, leaders of two organizations that call the NPC home.
They shared their thoughts with us about how being here at Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park impacts their work, the unique challenges faced by Black-led organizations in the nonprofit sector and how individuals can better support them.
1) How does the Black history of the Crownsville Hospital site influence or impact your work as a resident organization at the NPC?
Juanita: “The Crownsville Hospital site holds a profound legacy of Black resilience, community care, and survival in the face of systemic harm. As a Black-led organization supporting kinship families, we honor that history by creating a space rooted in dignity, healing, and belonging for caregivers carrying generational burdens with little to no support. Being at the NPC reminds us daily that our work continues a long tradition of Black communities caring for one another despite inequity.”
Ratasha: The history of Crownsville Hospital has had a profound impact on us as inaugural residents in this space. As I mentioned at the ribbon cutting, "these rooms that once denied Black dignity now amplify Black voices. Our presence here is not just about having office space (for which we are VERY grateful!), it is about reclaiming space. It is about honoring those who were marginalized in these same halls and transforming that pain into purpose."
2) What are some of the unique challenges faced by Black-led organizations in the nonprofit sector?
Juanita: Black-led nonprofits are often expected to solve some of the most complex community challenges while operating with fewer financial resources, limited access to donor networks, and less institutional funding. We also face systemic bias that questions our capacity, often from people and systems that do not fully understand the lived realities and structural barriers Black communities navigate every day. Even with these obstacles, Black-led organizations remain powerful drivers of innovation, cultural wisdom, and trusted community impact.
Ratasha: The Young Black & Giving Back Institute qualifies supporting Black-led nonprofits as a racial justice imperative.
Here are some highlights from their 2023 report.
Historically, Black-led nonprofit organizations are funded at levels drastically lower than their white-led counterparts.® In 2019, Bridgespan and Echoing Green found that Black-led organizations operate on revenues that are 24% less than white-led organizations. Further, the net assets of Black-led organizations are 76% smaller than their white-led counterparts." Previous studies of Black-led social change sectors in Philadelphia and the Bay Area confirm that Black-led nonprofits operate with fewer cash reserves and are more reliant on government grants, making them vulnerable to economic and political shifts. Addressing the funding gap for Black-led social change recognizes proximate leadership and community-driven problem solving as essential to the economic, educational and holistic wellness of Black people and Black communities.
Black nonprofit leaders have established relationships and connections within the communities they serve and have an inherent understanding of the ways that systems of oppression impact those communities. Further, Black nonprofit leaders frequently share language, bonds and knowledge of problems most salient to their communities while also having greater access to community-driven solutions most effective for the people they serve. And, as with most proximate leaders, Black nonprofit leaders approach community problem-solving through a sense of empowerment and self-determination, 6 Building a strong, localized, Black-led nonprofit sector ensures that Black communities are well-resourced to respond to crises and advocate for necessary systems changes.
Related Article: New Report by Young, Black & Giving Back Institute Shines Spotlight on Black-Led, Grassroots Nonprofits Around the Country (PR Newswire, August 29, 2023)
3) How can community members better support Black-led organizations?
Juanita: The biggest sources of support are consistent support, unrestricted giving, strategic partnerships, and people using their networks to open doors. Community members can also show up by volunteering their skills, sharing our mission, and advocating for equitable funding practices that sustain the work beyond a one-time event. Most importantly, believe Black-led organizations when we say what our communities need, and invest in that vision.
Ratasha: GIVE! Give your time, talents, and energy to Black-led organizations. Serve on our board, volunteer in our programs, and donate monetary donations to ensure that we are able to continue the important work that we do in our communities.