In the last five years, these experiences have been extended to the world at large, in complex and interconnected ways, in what is often termed a polycrisis, demonstrating the importance of imagining Black feminist futures. However, amidst the many op-eds, calls, and approaches that are being shared at this moment, a crucial Black feminist analysis remains largely absent. Philanthropy in particular, in its urgent search for interventions, moves from pillar to post, seeking solutions without fully recognising what is missing: a Black feminist lens that reframes both the problem and response.

In the Black Feminist Fund’s most recent report, Black Feminist Movements and Crises, we aim to address this gap. We reflect on conversations with and literature from Black feminists around the world. And we apply these to make concrete, practical recommendations that we hope will help philanthropy (and beyond) make sense of the current times.

‘We reject the imposition of values and practices rooted in the colonial legacy of how international development, humanitarianism, philanthropy, and aid are framed and actioned. We provide a blueprint for transformative responses, new narratives around crisis and response, and funding structures that centre lived realities before, during, and after crisis inflection moments — whilst building Black feminist worlds’.[2]

We refuse to see crises through the narrow lens of catastrophic events and their immediate fallout. Instead, we offer a more intentional and expansive understanding.

Black feminists understand the current conditions of crises through the lived realities of Black women, girls, and gender-expansive people, and this shapes how we operate. We strategise with the nuances and intersections, understanding that everyone experiences crises differently.

‘A Black woman living with disabilities will have different experiences and needs around access to health services and housing than one living without. A Black gender-expansive person experiencing displacement due to floods will have different safety and protection needs than a cisgender woman. A Black mother and elder caregiver will have different nutrition and housing needs than a single person with limited care responsibilities. A Black middle-class woman will face fewer challenges to access resources and support services than one impoverished by the class system’. [3]

Read the full article about imagining Black feminist futures by Nadia Ahidjo and Vanessa Thomas at Alliance Magazine.