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#BlackPhilanthropyEdition Part II

Quote | #UjimaWednesdays | #CoLearning Recap | #BlackPhilanthropyEditionPartII | Opportunities to Listen |  Ujima Time Bank | How to Invest in Ujima | Appreciations | Neighborhood Econ. Study Group | Ujima is Hiring | Membership Renewal | Jobs | Upcoming Meetings 

Adrienne Maree Brown

TONIGHT AT 6PM: Alternative Education with Demita Fraizer

Our next Ujima Open Meeting is TONIGHT on Zoom – Wednesday, September 16th, from 6:00pm-8:30pm.

  • 6:00-7:15pm #CoLearning: Alternative Education with Demita Frazier. Demita is a lawyer, writer, teacher, and activist. She is a founding member of the Combahee River Collective.
  • 7:15-8:30pm #CoCreation: Anchor Institution and Outreach Member Teams

PLEASE RSVP. Thank you!

Time: Wednesday, September 16, 6PM | Location: ZOOM

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#CoLearning Recap: Study Groups w/ Black Feminist Study Hall

Last Wednesday, Arielle Gray, Jovanna Jones and Cierra Peters shared their views on Study groups as a form of alternative education, as well as the histories and future potentials for popular education.

Click here to view the full notes and here to watch the video!

#BlackPhilanthropyEdition Part II:

Photo: Georgia Gilmore in the kitchen, 1978. The Montgomery Advertiser

Last month, in the #BlackPhilanthropyEdition, we delved into the history of Black Philanthropy Month, and learned more about the methods of aid Black folks developed and employed in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. In this issue, we cover the roots of the contemporary philanthropic movement: people who claimed space and transformed the Civil Rights movement through organizing, music, food and creative changemaking.

TELL THEM ABOUT THE DREAM!

Mahalia Jackson was baptized in the Mississippi River in 1923. She was twelve years old. She grew up in the church, cutting her teeth in the choir at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. By the time she made her name as an international superstar and gospel legend in the 1950s, she was using her influence, and coins, to take up the call of her generation and joined the civil rights movement. “Shortly after meeting King at the National Baptist Convention in 1956, Jackson agreed to sing at a fundraising rally for the Montgomery bus boycott. After that, she frequently accompanied King to perform at rallies and events,” reported Vox writer Emily Crockett, “...This bond of mutual inspiration and respect between King and Jackson came at a pivotal moment during the 1963 March on Washington.” Dr. King had gone through several iterations of his speech by the time he made it to the podium. According to Crockett, the speech was supposed to be 5 minutes in length. 

But during delivery, King started improvising a bit when he reached a sentence that felt clunky. Instead of calling on the crowd to "go back to our communities as members of the international association for the advancement of creative dissatisfaction," he went with: "Go back to Mississippi; go back to Alabama; go back to South Carolina; go back to Georgia; go back to Louisiana; go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed."

It was at that moment, says King's adviser Clarence Jones, that Mahalia Jackson cried out: "Tell them about the dream, Martin! Tell them about the dream!"

"Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope," Mahalia once remarked. Mahalia was one of many Black pop stars who used their time, talent and treasure to uplift movement. Protest hymns like Nina Simone’s Strange Fruit (1939) and Mississipi Goddam (1964) to We Shall Overcome at Stonewall, an adaptation of Charles Albert Tindley’s I’ll Overcome Someday provided the soundtrack of the movement. Elsewhere, musicians like Ray Charles refused to perform in segregated music spaces. The fight for desegregation was being fought on all fronts.

THE CLUB FROM NOWHERE

In the local arena, much like today, people did what they could to collectively raise funds for the movement. In 1950s Montgomery, Alabama, activist Georgia Gilmore saw the potential radical change and began fundraising through the quiet intimacy of cooking.

“Gilmore organized black women to sell pound cakes and sweet potato pies, fried fish and stewed greens, pork chops and rice at beauty salons, cab stands and churches,” reported NPR columnist Maria Godoy in a 2018 article about the activist. She called her group, the Club from Nowhere. "[Georgia Gilmore] offered these women, many of whose grandmothers were born into slavery, a way to contribute to the cause that would not raise suspicions of white employers who might fire them from their jobs, or white landowners who might evict them from the houses they rented," John T. Edge says.

Godoy continued: “The money they raised helped pay for the alternative transportation system that arose in Montgomery during the 381-day bus boycott: hundreds of cars, trucks and wagons that ferried black workers to and from their jobs across town each day. Gilmore's cooking helped pay for the insurance, gas, wagons and vehicle repairs that kept that system going.” 

Gilmore’s activism came at a high price: she eventually lost her job for testifying at Martin Luther King, Jr. 's 1956 trial, in which he and several others were charged with unlawful conspiracy for organizing boycotts. This set back didn’t stop her, and she eventually opened a restaurant in her home which became a popular place for organizers and activists of the day.

In his 1999 book, At the Crossroads: The Proceedings of the First National Conference on Black Philanthropy, Dr. C. Erick Lincoln described philanthropy as, “The voluntary transfer of significant values identified with the self, or an extension of the self to other entities perceived as wanting. These quantum of value may be intangible, as in the case of love, labor, services or support: or they may be concrete and tangible as in the case of money, works of art, clothing, shelter and the like.” Dr. Emmett Carson, a leading scholar on Black Philanthropy explains further, “"One reason little has been written about black philanthropy is that the word philanthropy evokes images of large foundations and wealthy philanthropists. When one expands the concept to include giving money, goods, and time; blacks emerge as having a strong, substantial philanthropic tradition."

When we push against popular notions of philanthropy to include the ways we create spaces that abundantly care for others, no longer asterisked or subsumed, we lean into the spirit of our ancestors.

Further Reading:

Organizations you can donate to:

Opportunities to Listen

Opportunities to listen

Join the Ujima Time Bank!

Speaking of alternative currency... The Ujima Time Bank is another way to save money and create community connections while creating a new economy in Boston!

What is a time bank?

A Timebank is a system of exchange where the unit of value is person-hours. When a member of a timebank performs one hour of service for another member, they are awarded one hour of credit in the Timebank, which can then be redeemed for one hour of service from another member. For example: Samantha can fix Jess’s blinds, and then Jess can teach Freddie Spanish, then Freddie later gives Samantha a ride, and the Timebank keeps track so it’s fair.

*Featured Request: "Furniture Upholstery Help or Recommendation" Never expires

"Does anyone know how to upholster furniture or know someone who does locally? I have 2 living room side chairs that I'm trying to salvage instead of throwing them away. Would appreciate any suggestions."

Join the time bank to respond and see more! Anyone who lives in Boston can join the Time Bank at www.ujimaboston.com/timebank!

How to Become a Co-Investor in the Ujima Fund

Another Boston Is Happening. Now You Can Invest in It.

www.ujimaboston.com/invest

  1. Read Ujima's Offering Memorandum. This document describes the risks, regulations, and background of the fund. The Offering Memorandum should be read in it's entirety, with careful attention to the Risk Factors (page 11), Description of Notes (39), and Subordination Agreement (77).
  2. Consult the personal finance worksheet if you are unsure of how much to invest.
  3. Invest online (multiple payment options available):
    1. Choose the option next to the type of investment you are making.
    2. Complete and sign all forms via Docusign (Investment Agreement, W-9, and Demographic Information).
    3. After submitting, select your payment option. (You will see instructions on how to send a check if that is your preferred payment.)
  4. OR: Invest via mail:
    1. Choose the option next to the type of investment you are making.
    2. Select the print option on Docusign.
    3. Complete and sign all forms manually (Investment Agreement, W-9, and Demographic Information).
    4. Write a check, payable to the Fund, for the amount you wish to invest in the applicable Notes.
    5. Send the Investment Agreement and your check to the Fund [PO BOX 180310 Boston MA 02118].
  5. Email invest@ujimaboston.com or call 617-446-3863 with any questions

Please contact invest@ujimaboston.com with any questions or issues that arise!

#UjimAppreciations

Thank you to...

  • Black Feminist Study Hall and Black Studies Reading Room, for a great history of Black study spaces and kicking off our month of exploration on Alternative Education!
  • All of our new members who have joined Ujima!
    • Camille
    • Katy
    • Rebecca
    • Blair
    • Jenny
  • All of the members who have renewed their Ujima memberships!
    • Emily
    • Marissa
    • Maliaka
    • Rachel
    • Cierra
    • Carolyn
    • Andy
    • Zach
    • David
    • Jax
    • Matthew
    • Deborah
  • All of our recent investors!
    • Blake
    • Vashti
    • Kathryn
    • Adam
    • Elyse
  • To Peers, Partners, and Community Members who are doing their part to keep us informed, safe, and loved during this time. 

Ujima Neighborhood Economics Study Group

We are excited that the Ujima Neighborhood Economics Study Group is underway, continuing to explore the feasibility of projects that address our community-wide needs. The group meets the second Wednesday of the month, and the next meeting is next Wednesday, October 14th. This study group is co-coordinated by Ujima members and staff. Some participants will focus on a specific area of study and some writ-large. The group will build on the learnings from the exploration that Ujima members have already done, and will carry this research forward to get even closer to implementation and investment in projects that meet our needs.

The topics include:

  • Community Land Trust
  • Community Owned Internet
  • Community Owned Energy
  • Urban Farming
  • Creative Economic Placemaking (Black Market)
  • Community Space
  • Arts/Cultural Organizing Space
  • Childcare

There is also space for members to coordinate study groups on additional topics of interest. Please email lynchcasey2@gmail.com if you are interested in getting involved or want more information!

Internship Opportunities

We need your help to find great interns to grow our team. Ujima is offering these internship opportunities on an ongoing basis. Please share widely!

To apply, email intern@ujimaboston.com to express interest and get further information. 

Ujima Membership

Help us reach our goal of growing our membership to 700! Join Ujima today and help spread the word about our network and activities!

Jobs in the Ujima Network

If you have are hiring and would like to be included on our biweekly newsletter, send your listing to comms@ujimaboston.com!

Upcoming Ujima Meetings

We hold Open Meetings every Wednesday at 6pm, on ZOOM! Check out our September Calendar below!

6:00-7:15 - Community Building + Financial and Political Education.
7:15-8:30 - Member Team Meetings (Based on rotating schedule; See calendar above)

www.ujimaboston.com

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