What Is Liberation and How Do We Get There?

The past few years, and especially over the past twelve months, we’ve seen more and more awareness about the need for racial equity and racial justice. With this progress we also need to understand what we mean when we say the words equity and justice, as well as what it means to work toward liberation and how we get there.

In June, we held a webinar for folks to refresh or increase their knowledge about foundational concepts for racial equity. In this virtual 90-minute workshop, we’ll build off that first webinar to talk about equality, equity, justice, and liberation, what each of those look like, and what we’re working toward. This training will also dive into what transformative organizing campaigns look like towards the goal of thinking beyond surface level system reforms, and towards a larger comprehensive vision for equity, liberation and transformative justice.

We are excited to learn with philanthropy and from two racial justice organizers with deep knowledge of the homelessness system. Join Funders Together to End Homelessness and our partners at Liberation House for this virtual training that will push us to think deeper about how we in philanthropy can push and organize ourselves toward justice and liberation.

Speakers

Jonathan Lykes, Founder/CEO, Liberation House 
Jonathan Lykes is a Black queer artist, activist and academic. His interdisciplinary approach to art, activism and anti-oppression work, merges policy change, artistic expression and activism. Combining these forms of social transformation—and harnessing their synergy—Jonathan works to create awareness, promote personal healing, surmount institutional barriers and generate systemic change. Jonathan’s current position as Founder/Executive Director of Liberation House situates him to merge his multidisciplinary artistic background with public policy reform, community engagement and systems change work to teach liberation praxis by pushing the revolutionary edge of radical transformative movement work. Lykes is also a founding member of Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100), a movement of young adults using a Black Queer Feminist lens to advocate for community and institutional change. Jonathan is also the curator of BYP100’s freedom song and chant album, The Black Joy Experience, helping to teach holistic energy through the Black radical tradition. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago, where he also received his master’s degree from the School for Social Service Administration.

Tashira Halyard, Consultant, Liberation House 
Tashira led the Alliance for Racial Equity in Child Welfare, a coalition of child welfare stakeholders dedicated to eliminating racial disparities and improving outcomes for children and families of color in the child welfare system; facilitate workgroups, webinars and convenings with stakeholders focused on equity and improved outcomes; produce data analysis, written reports and campaigns highlighting the pressing issues facing families and children of color involved with public systems; co-led the Race Equity Team charged with leading the organizations efforts to becoming anti-racist. Tashira also worked as the deputy director for Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, where she led a team of program managers who supervised trauma-informed play programs at temporary housing programs in Washington, DC; she also served as a thought partner with the Executive Director in executing organizational operations, fundraising, advocacy, community relations and hiring and spoke publicly about family homelessness at DC Council hearings, partner meetings, advocacy events and HCPP trainings. Tashira received her J.D. from Georgetown University.

Registration Fee

This webinar has a registration fee that is non-refundable unless you do not meet eligibility requirements (see below). Your registration is transferrable to a colleague with at least 24 hours-notice.

• For Full Members (dues-paying members): $30
• For Basic Members (non-dues paying) and Non-Members: $60

Participation eligibility: Participation in Funders Together programming is limited to private funders, United Ways, philanthropy-serving organizations, and/or members of Funders Together. Public funders, government employees, and staff at organizations where grantmaking is not the primary function are not eligible to participate. If you have any questions about your eligibility to participate or membership status, please contact Stephanie Chan, Director of Membership and Programs.