Giving Compass' Take:

• Individuals can take action against the widening inequality gap in America through these avenues: building awareness, education, and thinking about strategic volunteerism. 

• What are the first steps donors can take to respond to inequality and pursue justice? 

• Read more steps to addressing rising inequality. 

The widening inequality gap we are witnessing as we emerge from the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic and the attention being paid to the killings of Black Americans including Ahmaud Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, and, most recently, George Floyd remind us of the absolute necessity of continuing the work to create a society that supports and values each of its members equally. How can we build a society based around compassionate communities, whose members are motivated and empowered to take action to actively improve the world for their fellow human beings?

  • Building Awareness  We have seen how the recent protests around the world have awakened and impassioned a much greater segment of our population to consider the long history of injustice and racism that exists in the U.S. The realities of financial inequality whose roots lie in this history, and the increasing duties of citizens and CEOs alike to address this topic, are also becoming more talked about in mainstream media: according to McKinsey & Co., black Americans can expect to earn up to $1 million less than white Americans over their lifetime.
  • Educating OurselvesTruly understanding the issues and the needs of our communities starts with educating ourselves, whether it’s online or from a book, documentary or podcast.
  • Taking Action During the same panel in April for National Volunteer Week 2020, actor and activist Hill Harper commented, “We can talk about volunteerism. And we can talk about folks who want to serve. But it’s a different level when someone has literally dedicated their entire walk to just that.

Read the full article about what you can about inequality by Erin Halley at VolunteerMatch.