Giving Compass' Take:

• Phoebe Jones, the Coordinator of Women in Dialogue, along with Pat Albright and Barbara Gurley, discuss the importance of women collaborating and the impact of COVID-19 on this work. 

• How can donors better support women's ideas, narratives, and collaborative circles? 

• Discover the Giving Compass Gender and Giving collection to learn more about females in philanthropy.

As important discussions surrounding racial and gender equity rise to prominence, it is essential to highlight communities, leaders, and organizations that are breaking down barriers to create an equitable society. Currently, COVID-19 has affected the entire nation, but the devastation of the pandemic has disproportionately affected women and people of color, leaving many communities extremely vulnerable in the wake of the global crisis. Women in Dialogue has amplified their current initiatives to directly address the effects of COVID-19 out of their Germantown center in Philadelphia. Women in Dialogue was recently awarded a 2-year $30,000 grant as part of our Rapid Response General Operating Fund to directly address the effects of COVID-19 on their organization and community and to help in the rebuild post crisis.

Women In Dialogue was founded in 1985 by diverse women from different races, ethnicities, identities, ages, nationalities and backgrounds committed to addressing issues such as poverty and food insecurity in women. Through their work, Women in Dialogue highlights the importance and value of all women’s contributions to the economy and society including that of essential caregiving. We had the opportunity to sit down with Phoebe Jones, the Coordinator of Women in Dialogue along with Pat Albright and Barbara Gurley, to discuss the importance of their work and the dire needs of the women in their community during these times. Phoebe, Barbara and Pat discuss the direct effects of COVID-19 on their organization, valuing women as caregivers, and their current initiatives to change narratives addressing financial insecurity among women.

Tell us a little about your organization. What led to the launch of Women in Dialogue?

Phoebe: Women in Dialogue started in 1985 with a purpose to bring together communities by bringing women together on our common concerns.  We were women of different races and ethnicities and backgrounds. One of the first things we did as an organization was put out a book called Every Woman’s Handbook on Compensation for Rape because at that time you could not get compensation if you were a victim of rape who was related to her attacker.

Read the full article about Women in Dialogue by Imani Harris at Medium.