Thank you Waltham
Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe it has only been 7 months since we launched Waltham Black Future Fund.
As 2020 comes to a close we are surrounded by reminders that this has been an extremely difficult year for those who feel the weight of racial and economic injustice. Together we are learning that the load feels a little lighter when we fight back at the local level, together.
Photo by Oscar O. Escobar
I am writing to thank all of you who have helped out this year, by making donations, helping us talk through our priorities and strategies, volunteering for committees, showing up at events, contacting local officials, or spreading the word about our organization.
I am grateful and amazed by what we have accomplished in less than a year.
With your support just a few of the initiatives that have been made possible included the following:
Provided donations & volunteers for community organizations & residents in need
Action hours- helping to raise money for local nonprofits while encouraging Waltham residents to take action collectively.
Hosted a Vigil at the Waltham Common
Established local working committees around Public Safety, Community Service, Health Equity, Education, Environmental Justice, and Small Business Development
Facilitated Protests driving engagement around our city
A local Election Education event
Facilitated Monthly Community clean-ups
Established virtual tutoring pool for BIPOC youth
Community Trivia & Virtual Gathering space
Joined WPS Discipline Disproportionality Committee
Joined Waltham Freedom Team
Partnered with Kaleidoscope for local 4 part series “Creating a Safe Space to talk about Race”
Establish 2500.00 Scholarship Fund for WPS students
Cosponsored “Combating Racism & Practicing Self Care” with Waltham Partnership for Youth
& So much more!
We have pushed forward the process of addressing well-documented racial inequities in the Waltham Public Schools to ensure that our voices will be part of that process. We’ve analyzed documents released by Waltham PD and sent a response questioning apparent racial inequities. Through our partnerships with other local organizations leading this work, we have helped to improve conditions for unhoused people in Waltham, as well as helped promote conversation on what it would mean to turn Fitch School on Moody St. into a police station. Through our website and social media we have helped spark a citywide discussion of what “Black Lives Matter” means in Waltham, and inspired many people to learn more about their city, take pride in our community, and strive to build more inclusivity.
We have even bigger plans for 2021.
Recently, Waltham Black Future Funded incorporated as an LLC, and we have posted calls for board members, a social media manager, and other admin staff. The more formal organizational structure will allow us to build new programs, provide compensation , and build community while maintaining the ability to focus on our mission without compromise . We are partnered with multiple local and MA based nonprofits and working on building coalitions to offer programming and resources for our community through 2021 and beyond .
We are proud to offer stipends for youth addressing racism in schools and internship opportunities for upcoming projects with local Universities. We are also actively seeking progressive, anti-racist BIPOC or proven allies to run for Waltham City Council and School Committee in November, and developing resources we can use to help them win. We plan to use what we have learned about Waltham PD to start citywide conversations about civilian oversight, hiring practices, the role of police in our schools, and make these election issues.
We hope to develop a subscription box social enterprise that would help fund our future work as well as support Black-owned businesses and provide jobs for local youth. We also plan to build our social media content and get more people in Waltham connecting while reading, thinking, talking about, and showing up for racial and economic justice. When conditions prove safe to gather we hope to facilitate opportunities for our beautiful diverse community to celebrate through music, dance, food, and more.
I look forward to working with all of you on these exciting efforts in the new year. Thank you so much for your help so far. I wish you and your families a safe and healthy new year, and hope for a better future.
Chanthal H
We are a proud to be a community funded grassroots organization.
Please consider volunteering or donating!