May 25, 2020: The murder of George Floyd, in Minneapolis. 

May 27, 2020: The death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, in Toronto. 

May 27, 2021: The recovery of 215 Indigenous children’s unmarked graves on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School on the territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc. 

The philanthropic sector’s immediate collective emotional response was anger, rage and demands for change. Eventually in the aftermath of these three events, companies and organizations put out their DEI statements, pledging to address systemic racism and self-labelled “allies” put up their Black squares on social media. 

The end result? Sadly, a whole lot of nothing. A couple of years later, the passion for systemic change and justice appears to have waned to the point of collective apathy.

The two of us came together to reflect on what’s happened in the world and we noticed a connection. It’s been said time and time again how these events highlighted the systemic oppression that Black, Indigenous and other racialized people have endured for centuries. And yet, despite the statements of solidarity, allyship and calls to action to do better that we’ve heard from the philanthropic sector over the past two years, Black, Indigenous and other racialized people continue to face oppression on a daily basis. According to the 2021 Black Canadian National Survey, 70 percent of Black Canadians face racism regularly or from time to time and 80 percent of people (from all racial identification groups) believe racism is a problem where they live.

In 2020, with everyone in lockdown, we were fixated on the horrific images of police brutality against George Floyd. It felt like the world was on fire – and yet we’ve allowed it to continue to burn to this day.  

In spring 2021 a 20-year-old man in London, Ontario killed a family because they were Muslim. In May of this year an 18-year-old man drove over 320 kilometres to Buffalo to target Black people in their neighbourhood grocery store, killing 10. Earlier this year we watched as thousands took Ottawa hostage in the name of freedom, far-right extremists among them. Stoking the flames of white supremacy, the trucker convoy and the far-right movement emerged in stark contrast to the message of racial justice that had not long before been at the centre of our collective consciousness. We were reminded of Canada’s deep history of racism, shining a light on an evolution of hate along with a growing acceptance and mainstreaming of white supremacy.

In the philanthropic sector, the momentum has all but halted. While there was an increase in online giving for Indigenous Peoples in 2020 compared to 2019, it decreased in 2021. Donations to Indigenous Peoples in the charitable sector only accounted for 3 percent of the overall online donations. A study assessing public and private foundation giving from 2017-2018 found that only 0.7 percent of grants went to Black-led organizations. The lack of more current data is telling. 

Philanthropy’s urgency seems to have dissipated, turning those bold statements of racial reckoning from real action to performative talk. If we do not recognize the significance of these interconnected events we will fail to prevent them from happening again.  

A statement released by BlackNorth and 21 community organizations and foundations from across the Greater Toronto Area calls for action and solutions co-created with Black communities: “Racially motivated hate crimes or acts of violent extremism are harmful to all of us, and we must do everything we can to ensure that our communities are safe from such actions. Ignorance and indifference, I don’t know, and I don’t care attitudes, can no longer be tolerated or prevail.”

As a sector we need to eliminate policies that create generational harm and trauma to communities and revisit everything centering equity. We must advocate for systemic and collective change and never forget the events that gave rise to the talk of social justice.

Seven actions the philanthropic sector can take immediately: 

1. Find and genuinely learn about organizations doing critical grassroots mobilization and advocacy on important issues that are impacting their communities. Then, take the next step and support them through your resources, networks and money. 
2. Build authentic, open and honest relationships with community organizations and grassroots initiatives. Collaborate by listening and letting them decide what kind of support is beneficial to them. It may be funding them directly or it may be amplifying their voices by sharing their work with your funding network. Acknowledge the expertise of lived experience and be open to following their lead.
3. Acknowledge your privilege, step back and hold space for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, in conversations about equity, diversity and inclusion. Stop playing the role of “Devil’s Advocate” — it is a form of gaslighting, deflection and ignorance. Systemic racism exists – period!
4. Grant with an equity lens and support smaller and medium-sized organizations, including grassroots groups without charitable status. Make unrestricted, multi-year grants based on trust. Build a pool of funding to incentivize other donors to diversify their donations. And again, listen to Black-led/serving and Indigenous-led/serving leaders. 
5. Stop perpetuating “rugged individualism” by thinking: if it’s not happening to me or my community, I don’t need to act. Support causes and issues that may not touch you personally but still affect the larger community.  
6. Commit to being a part of the solution for the long-term. Remember that seeking social and racial justice is not a single act, nor a seasonal trend—and it will only work if we all show up. To deepen your learning and focus your energy, consider setting equity-focused granting goals. Track your granting and reflect on your impact for greater accountability.
7. Whether in our interpersonal and professional spaces, use your influence and make your voice heard by speaking out against both implicit and explicit forms of hate . 

Anniversaries matter. They bring us together and they hold us to account.

If we want to see substantial change and root out the actions that seed more hate, we must act now so that we leave a better future for generations to come.

Learn more about applying equity to philanthropy from The Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples in Canada, The Right Relations Collaborative, “We can no longer wait to address anti-black hate”, Foundation for Black Communities, and Nine Strategies for Maintaining Momentum on your Racial and Social Justice Journey.

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