Systemic inequities, a global pandemic, and violence from both state and private actors have created the perfect storm. Black, Asian, Indigenous, migrant, Roma and racialised communities around the world have responded to the present moment with determination, hope and in concert, fighting not just to survive the public health and economic crises, but rising en masse in solidarity protests following the leadership of young Black activists in the U.S.

The challenges of addressing structural racialisation vary by the cultural, historical, legal and philanthropic dynamics of each region. Yet, right now, slow-moving efforts to shift philanthropy toward racial justice can advance significantly.

U.S. funders working with a racial justice lens have helped to support a sustained and effective racial justice movement that has been developing for decades but which has grown exponentially larger and more sophisticated in the seven years since Black Lives Matter was founded.

While crises such as the pandemic or shocking experiences like witnessing the police murdering people have certainly sparked greater attention to racial injustice worldwide, the newly awakened have somewhere to go because Black and other racialised community members have long battled similar abuses. Likewise, encouraging responses from some funders may seem like they’ve jumped into discussions of racial equity overnight. In fact, the work is often the result of sector readiness that has been years in the making.

Philanthropy is at different stages of development in different countries, but the reasons for using a racial justice lens – not merely racial equity – apply and are just as compelling.

‘A racial equity lens separates symptoms from causes, but a racial justice lens brings into view the confrontation of power, the redistribution of resources and the systemic transformation necessary for real change,’ states Grantmaking with a Racial Justice Lens: A Practical Guide.

Read the full article about grantmaking for racial justice at Philanthropic Racial Equity.