Leaders Reflect
What would philanthropic leaders have told themselves in December of 2019 that would help prepare them for what was to come in 2020 and 2021? Read more
Buffy Jamison
tri-chair, Iowa Queer Communities of Color Coalition
Buffy!
Listen! You’re gonna wanna sit down. Yeah. We gotta talk, honey. First of all, congrats on everything IQ3C has been able to accomplish so far, especially as an entirely volunteer-based organization. Seriously, y’all have really put your hearts into it, and it’s paying off. It’s about to stop paying off momentarily, though – or at least that’s what it will feel like. Sooo … here’s the deal: Things are about to get real. Remember the movie “Outbreak?” Yeah, it’s gonna be a lot like that, only the decisions our political leaders will make to try to make things “better” won’t be nearly as competent as the decisions the writers of that film made (or at least not in this country). Because of this, everyone will be asked to quarantine at home.
After finding out that the world is facing an airborne virus that attacks the lungs, people will, of course, literally hoard hundreds of rolls of toilet paper. Because toilet paper will be the logical item to fill the pantry with during an emergency of this kind. Worldwide, businesses will shut down except for grocery stores and other places deemed “essential.” That’s not so bad except people start getting labeled as “essential” and “nonessential,” and consequently there will be major job losses. Concepts disabled folks are forced to fight for such as working from home will become commonplace with businesses settling into the new work-from-home routine for “nonessential” workers within a matter of weeks. Essential workers will be praised as heroes, yet face a constant threat to their lives due to a lack of policies to protect them from contracting the virus at pay rates unbefitting a hero. People will choose between in-person jobs or quitting in order to protect their health and their families.
Food insecurity will skyrocket. People will face threats of homelessness from landlords and elected officials who will see this as an opportunity to continue gentrification efforts. And, there will be a major loss of life. Our communities – those that are most marginalized – will be hit the hardest by all of this. The Black Lives Matter movement will make massive gains with a series of historic protests against anti-Black racism and general civil unrest countrywide. The phrase “Black Lives Matter’’ will be uttered by many organizations. Few will have plans to ensure their organization actually responds to the call to action embedded in this rallying cry.
Whenever a marginalized group makes progress, racist retaliation follows. The retaliation I speak of will follow historical patterns. The seriousness of these incidents accompanied by the pandemic and consecutive natural disasters will cause you and everyone in IQ3C to worry immensely about your families, friends and community. So, of course, you will work together to do something about it.
Here’s a snapshot of some of the things you will accomplish together:
Due to closures, our launch party, meant to introduce our org officially to communities around the state of Iowa, will be permanently postponed. Subsequently, we will host an Instagram series detailing our bios and messages to our BI+POC LGBTQIA2+ community in Iowa letting them know they are not alone. A local photographer will donate their artistry and take portraits for the series.
We will have all meetings, parties and social events virtually. We’ll rely on our members for premium Zoom access.
When we host events in person, they’ll be outdoors and in the form of protest. IQ3C will host the Unity March and Rally in conjunction with multiple orgs and community members in the LGBTQIA and BI+POC community. All speakers will be queer and trans Black folks. All will be paid with money raised through org and individual donations. We will also show up at other protests.
We will host a major BI+POC-centered arts event.
We will hold workshop sessions at online conferences.
More than anything, we support each other while we are experiencing collective trauma. We will share job opportunities with one another. We will plan to use money out of our own pockets to file for our nonprofit status. We will grieve together. We will dream together. We will survive and grow together.
Throughout all of this, you will learn the following:
No one is their best self during a pandemic – this point will be made by your bestie Viki, and you will contemplate it long after you’ve heard it.
There will be many instances of folks wanting community support without knowing how to be supportive community members themselves. You all will create educational opportunities to shed light on this.
The inequities in our society will be amplified. It will seem loud, but remember that’s only because more people will hush to listen.
Things take much longer to plan during pandemics; you will have to push back many deadlines. This is not a failure, but an opportunity to build solid foundations.
Burnout will occur far more often; pacing, self-care and community-care routines are essential.
There’s a lot left to do, but still a lot of passion from brilliant, talented people who want to do the work. Never lose sight of that, and never lose awe of how amazing, brave, resilient and powerful this community is.
Why is philanthropy important to our community?
Philanthropy is a pastime used to make a public statement about how much you, your family or your organization cares about the community. It’s taught to youths as a way of instilling communal values and a sense of gratitude for what they have. This sounds good, but it teaches folks to ignore the roots of societal inequities in favor of offering temporary relief from the symptoms of these root problems. We need to retire the practice of philanthropy and shift toward making sizable, long-term investments in marginalized communities and initiatives seeking to create structural changes that would render philanthropy unnecessary.