Giving Compass' Take:

• Writing for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy (NCRP), the Deaconess Foundation's Rev. Starsky D. Wilson discusses the challenges of fighting for racial equity and using learning tools to assess progress, highlighted by NCRP's "Power Moves" guide.

• What community building methods work best to advance social justice causes? NCRP's guide is a start, but self-reflection will be required across many sectors.

• The long journey toward equity has taken an especially large toll on Black male youth, as this op-ed details.

Over last few years, we’ve kept up a dizzying pace. Movements from #BlackLivesMatter to #MeToo to #EnoughIsEnough have kept philanthropy on our toes. In the best-case scenario, we’ve heeded the charge to pay attention, leaned in closer, rethought our work, took more risks and changed policies or practices that haven’t worked to improve the lives of the people we serve.

To be real about it, all this action and reaction, thinking and learning, changing and trying has worn many of us out.

I know it has taken a toll on me and the team at Deaconess Foundation. And despite the demands and the urgency of the moment, every now and then you’ve got to stop and take stock. It’s time to hold up the mirror. Quite frankly, I’m not sure we can afford not to ...

Rooted in our ongoing journey, last year we helped facilitate field-wide learning by leading Grantmakers for Effective Organizations’ Racial Equity Advisory Group. Then, at the beginning of this year, we opened a 21,000 square foot community action tank in an underdeveloped neighborhood, co-locating with long-term partners and granting space for convening to power-building policy advocates.

We’ve got way too much going on! But, we just added one more thing. Deaconess joined a group of foundations using NCRP’s Power Moves: Your essential philanthropy assessment guide for equity and justice to help assess and learn about how well (or poorly) we’re building, sharing and wielding power with our partners.

Read the full article about equity by Rev. Starsky D. Wilson at National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy.