By no coincidence, Black August and Black Philanthropy Month are observed at the same time. Both are rooted in a simple truth: Our liberation is never granted; it is built, protected, and sustained.

The Black liberation movement commemorated by Black August gave us the blueprint for organizing people who had been deliberately and systematically excluded to fight for a just world. Black Philanthropy Month underscores what communities have always understood—that collective action, from mutual aid networks to civil rights campaigns, is our greatest strength. But organizing requires resources, as well as people willing to put their money where their values are.

That is the heart of Black philanthropy.

I joined VOCAL-NY, the founding state chapter of VOCAL-US, in 2010, after being evicted from the rent-stabilized, one-bedroom apartment where I had lived for twelve years. VOCAL-NY had been lobbying for legislation to cap the rent for people living with AIDS. As someone living with HIV and dealing with housing challenges, I knew I needed to share my story with policymakers.

Fast forward to today: Hundreds of thousands of people in New York City living with HIV/AIDS and receiving social security now pay only 30 percent of our income on rent. I’m in a luxury highrise on West 42nd Street, and my moving costs, furniture, and first and last month’s rent were paid for. VOCAL-NY invested in me so that I could attend the People’s Action Institute’s week-long International Transformative Training in Chicago in July 2015, and I’ve been organizing ever since. That’s the power of sustained, Black-led organizing.

Billionaires and wealthy institutions in America spend enormous amounts of money ensuring that the status quo intentionally leaves Black communities behind. They fund political campaigns, think tanks, and advocacy efforts that weaken voting rights, dismantle civil rights protections, and target and criminalize minorities and underserved populations while they oppose investments in public education, affordable housing, health care, and economic mobility.

Read the full article about Black Philanthropy Month by Reginald Thomas Brown at The Progressive Magazine.