Waltham Black Future Fund has been doing work in the slow march towards addressing both the root causes and consequences of heath care inequity in our community.

We would like to invite our community- those who have volunteered with us in the past & those hoping to get involved to join us for a discussion on Health Equity projects and how to assist.

We will be hoping to build our people power & divide and conquer with ongoing projects and will form teams on the projects below:

1) Covid Vaccine access & education
2) Waltham Coaltion For Black Youth Mental Health
3) Healthy Food Access/education
4) Proposed projects & opportunities

We invite all community members or neighbors with connections or desire to commit to Health Equity work in Waltham and MA. Our work is intersectional so please reach out to see how we can connect across platforms & race to lift our community.

No Health care experience is necessary!

Link to register .
Feel free to contact info@walthamblackfuturefund.com for more information

Click here to pre-register via Zoom

In this tumultuous time there were persons that stepped up to the challenge of lessening the negative impact of COVID-19. That is why, one year later, March 17th, 2021, Waltham Black Future Fund is proud to host this panel, “A Year of COVID-19 in Waltham,” to have the conversation about how several Waltham organizations adapted, in one case arose, during these unprecedented times. Healthy Waltham, WATCH CDC, Chaplains on The Way and Waltham Mutual Aid will share who they are, how they’ve adapted during COVID-19 and the successes they’ve had in 2020. This will be followed by a panel discussion.

The year 2020 will be remembered as one of monumental strife, countless avoidable deaths, and incompetent federal and local political action. Amongst the pain and hardship we recognize there were positive stories- stories of unimaginable kindness, unfathomed determination of will, and a coming together amongst neighbors that we hope will continue until we have created a society that values peoples’ lives over profits.

Let us celebrate these stories and the successes we had in 2020.
Let us mourn the dead and join together in commitment to organize like hell for the living.

Click here to register via Zoom

Join Waltham High School Black Student Union as they lead the conversation in why Black History is more than a month.

Waltham Black Future Fund will facilitate a panel discussion where we will hear from BSU students what Black History Month means to them and ways in which we can diversify the narratives here in Waltham Public Schools. We will also hear from local WPS teachers who will share the importance of building a culture of inclusivity & creativity in the classroom.

We welcome all community members connected to Waltham or interested in advocating for youth to Join us for this community conversation. After our Panel discussion we will invite you to join breakout rooms to share ideas, build conversations and action plans to advocate for Waltham Youth.

"The evidence paints a clear picture: for students ( of all racial backgrounds) who attend diverse public schools learn more, exhibit less racial prejudice, and report higher overall self-confidence. But to fully realize the potential of these benefits, schools must ensure diversity exists on every level by ensuring diverse enrollment, integrating classrooms, and crucially, implementing curricula which reflects the history and culture of students of all backgrounds—advocates for equitable education reform must be invested in diversifying not only classrooms, but lesson plans, too. "

- Samantha Washington

Lets join together in service to keep our community beautiful.

Waltham Black Future Fund hopes to encourage conversation about problems and solutions to live in a cleaner , brighter, and more equitable City.

Lets take action and meet Monthly for a clean up in areas around our city while building connections with others.
Rain or Shine. ( Will cancel for snow /thunderstorms )

Water will be provided.
Have gloves/grabbers for volunteers and trash bags will be provided. Please dress warm- handwarmers will also be available on site!

Please bring a mask! Will have extra on site if needed ( & Sanitizer)

We will meet at the city council parking lot and walk over to Moody Street .

Our goal is from bridge & 4 blocks. Map available upon request .

We will pick up trash bags

Please suggest areas here:
https://forms.gle/t5tjm75HG4RpkQZg6
Thank you!

Lets join together in service to keep our community beautiful.

Waltham Black Future Fund hopes to encourage conversation about problems and solutions to live in a cleaner , brighter, and more equitable City.

Lets take action and meet Monthly for a clean up in areas around our city while building connections with others.
Rain or Shine.

Water will be provided.
Have gloves/grabbers for volunteers and trash bags will be provided.

Please bring a mask! Will have extra on site if needed ( & Sanitizer )

We will meet at City Hall and depending on size of group split and clear 1-2 areas so we can remain safely distanced

We will be cleaning in between a few streets along Moody and the River walk path leading left of the construction site. We will be parked at City Hall and walk over with supplies.

Please suggest areas here:
https://forms.gle/t5tjm75HG4RpkQZg6
Thank you!

“Unity is strength, division is weakness.”

Between election night & COVID-19 there are a lot of reasons we may feel isolated and anxious.

We believe Waltham is at its best when we are unified. Nov 3rd lets focus on community , a place we want to see thrive regardless of election outcome.

We are holding space for the community to come together & connect.

Room will be open 8pm-10pm for Virtual Community Gather open to ALL Waltham Residents.

There will Trivia w/prizes, breakout rooms for guided meditation/stretching, and more TBD

Register in advance for this meeting:
Register Here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting

Since our inception this summer Waltham Black Future Fund has been building a grassroots movement of students, parents, educators, and other concerned community members to build power to push for a more equitable environment and treatment for our youth

Time to break free of a reputation where hate has been tolerated in our schools, and create a more safe and welcoming learning environment for all students.

We have a lot of work to do but that wont stop us. This movement is dependent on our collective unity to ensure that our Waltham administration commitment to change is followed through.

Listen in on a few of our committee members as we open one of our meetings to the public for input and collaboration.

We will be discussing partnership opportunities with WPS, our tutoring initiative, scholarships, and ways to get involved.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8262700696?pwd=SnZrT3Q5V01hK3lCNXZCbzhRejhpdz09

Meeting ID: 826 2700 6962

Passcode: 343370

https://www.walthamblackfuturefund.com/join-us

A FREE workshop series aimed at helping our community understand race and how to promote racial equity.

The 4-part workshop series will take place virtually from 7:00-9:00 p.m. EST on the following dates:

Understanding Race: Thursday, October 29
Why Race Exists: Wednesday, November 4
A World Without Race: Thursday, November 12
Where We Go From Here: Tuesday, November 17

Creating a Safe Space to Talk About Race is facilitated by Dishon Mills, who studied sociology and African American Studies at Harvard University and has been involved in numerous efforts to promote racial healing. The series is geared for those connected to the Waltham community. To ensure confidentiality, the sessions will not be recorded, but we will to post notes after each workshop. This is not a religious or political event.

To participate, please register at www.aboutgrace.org/kaleidoscope

In partnership with:
-Blueprint Projects https://www.blueprintprojects.org/
-Waltham Black Future Fund https://www.walthamblackfuturefund.com/
-Renaissance https://www.wearerenaissance.org/

Kaleidoscope is a series of community events hosted by Grace Chrisitan Church in partnership with Waltham community members that celebrate the beautiful diversity of our community and create spaces to talk across man-made divisions. We dream of a Waltham community that is profoundly united in its diversity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This program was supported in part by a grant from the Waltham Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

http://stream.lexikeet.com/waltham

We are living in a world that has yet to find a solution to social injustices and racial inequities. We need to work together to build peace, fight injustices, and build a better school community.

Please join the Waltham High School PTO, Principal Paul Maiorano, and guest speakers as we start a conversation about racial issues at WHS and what's happening with the work to create positive change.

Guests:
* Brenda Pena, Associate Principal - Class of 2021 (Equity and Diversity Council)
* Daphne Fay, Director of English Language Arts (Diversifying the Curriculum)
* Mike LeBeau, Instructional Technology Specialist (Digital Citizenship)
* Nzinga Moore, ELA Teacher (Teaching for Social Justice)
* Chanthal H, founder, Waltham Black Future Fund (WBFF's Partnerships with Waltham Public Schools)

ALL are welcome - this event is not limited to WHS families.

Live translations in Spanish and Haitian Creole will be provided: choose your desired language after connecting to the Lexikeet link.

Do you think antiracist, progressive BIPOC Waltham residents and allies need a more representative and responsive City Council, School Committee, State Representatives and/or Mayor? Waltham residents and organizations who share this goal are welcome to join WBFF Local Elections Task Force's first online event on 10/18 at 3:30pm

We are coming together to learn, organize, strategize and identify next steps, such as BIPOC voter registration, local electoral education & engagement, and specifically developing effective, progressive, anti-racist candidates, messaging, campaigns, and coalitions, for a local government that best represents and supports our diverse families, communities, and lives.

Zoom meeting below:
When: Oct 18, 2020 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZMucuiqpjwtHNBV_G9QwSvkVv5g8...

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Lets join together in service to keep our community beautiful.

Waltham Black Future Fund hopes to encourage conversation about problems and solutions to live in a cleaner , brighter, and more equitable City.

Lets take action and meet Monthly for a clean up in areas around our city while building connections with others.
Rain or Shine.

Refreshments will be provided. Have limited amount of gloves/grabbers for volunteers and trash bags will be provided.

Sunscreen/ Bug spray suggested.

Please bring a mask! Will have extra on site if needed ( & Sanitizer )

Please suggest areas here:
https://forms.gle/t5tjm75HG4RpkQZg6

Once amount of volunteers are solidified- location will be updated.

Thank you! 

Hello ! We heard your requests loud and clear !!

We will be meeting at the common to pass out free lawn signs for those who would like to show support of a more just and equitable community for all.

We will also have shirts available for sale / donation & information on signing up for upcoming events .

For those who would like to have one delivered we will do that as well :

Please fill out:

https://forms.gle/JaVm3Kx5ArmyUGpc9

From our past events, we have learned that our fellow residents & neighbors want to help show their support for Racial equity, so we've decided to create an event to bring folks together to create art/signs in solidarity .
We want to encourage people to come out and make signs to put in their lawns & windows, and to make posters & signs for upcoming protests! We will be continuing to have protests & unity events here, so this will be a great time to make signs in preparation! Gather your friends and family and join us on this day for a socially distant sign-making event!

We will be able to provide some supplies such as brushes, paint, water, and hand sanitizer, but we encourage everyone to bring their own supplies if they have them!

Lets join together in service to keep our community beautiful.

Waltham Black Future Fund hopes to encourage conversation about problems and solutions to live in a cleaner , brighter, and more equitable City.

Lets take action and meet Monthly for a clean up in areas around our city while building connections with others.
Rain or Shine.

Refreshments will be provided. Have limited amount of gloves/grabbers for volunteers and trash bags will be provided.

Sunscreen/ Bug spray suggested.

Please bring a mask! Will have extra on site if needed ( & Sanitizer )

Please suggest areas here:
https://forms.gle/t5tjm75HG4RpkQZg6

Once amount of volunteers are solidified- location will be updated.

Thank you! 

With the latest public lynching circling headlines you may have heard the story of Jacob Blake, Black father from Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot 8 times in the back by an officer on Sunday, August 23rd. After being called to help break up a domestic dispute, the police shot him in the back in front of his children. His name is one of too many and the story of excessive state sanctioned violence that has plagued our nation for far too long.

The past 3 nights in Kenosha has seen an uprising against police violence similar to those that have spread across the country since the May 25th slaying of George Floyd and in the decades preceding this . While most of the protesting has been done peacefully, this week we saw the death of two people protesting against inequality and supporting Black Lives. One of the victims was revealed to be Anthony Huber, leaving behind a child and girlfriend. The other victims identity is not known at this time.

Their murderer's name is Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17 year old member of a local militia who considered himself a collaborator with local PD- who drove 30 miles with a long rifle to the protest with the sole purpose of causing harm to people. In videos of the night Kyle can be seen mingling with the police, thanking Kyle and the militia for being there. Offering him water. His Facebook account had many pro-police thin blue lines symbols appropriated not to “show appreciation” but rather as an ignorant moniker in which people sow division and deny the proven systemic experience and culture of violence plaguing a brutal system by design.

We have decided to gather Sunday to hold space to mourn the dead, the injured, the children who have witnessed these brutalities and will forever be changed. We will stand together to represent how we intend to rise above this hate and march forward to a better future.

We are stronger together .

Lets join together in service to keep our community beautiful.

Waltham Black Future Fund hopes to encourage conversation about problems and solutions to live in a cleaner city, brighter and more equitable City.

Lets take action and meet Monthly for a clean up in areas around our city while building connections with others. Rain or Shine.

Refreshments will be provided. Have limited amount of gloves/grabbers for volunteers and trash bags will be provided.

Sunscreen/ Bug spray suggested.

Please bring a mask! Will have extra on site if needed ( & Sanitizer )

Please suggest areas here:
https://forms.gle/t5tjm75HG4RpkQZg6

Once amount of volunteers are solidified- location will be updated.

Thank you!

The widespread closure of public schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic have put a spotlight on their importance not just in educating children, but providing nutrition, mental and physical health support, and critical services to the neighborhoods and communities in which they’re located.

Across Waltham, well before the disaster of COVID-19, our schools were suffering from the crisis of racism and systematic disenfranchisement of our black and brown students documented not only in their stories but formal investigations.
To date we haven't done enough to address this and all students white , black, and brown have been asking for help.

Our public schools aren’t failing: they’re being failed.

While we must be responsive in the here-and-now to the pressing need of mutual aid and the safety of our schools with Covid-19, this crisis is also an opportunity for us to re imagine public education from the ground up and build the social movements needed to make a more just and equitable public school system a reality. Every child deserves a well-funded sustainable community school that’s the beating heart of their neighborhood.

As WBFF & Community members meet with school council to discuss anti-racist policies & initiatives we hope to build a show of solidarity around the kids and young adults who have shared their stories in preparation while the meeting is being held .

Lets show them we are listening and Waltham wants a unified movement forward to build a stronger school system. We are dealing with two pandemics in our community and its time we answered the call to better protect all children and ensure equal opportunities.

Join us for a wide ranging conversation about the danger and hope of this moment from students, parents and educators, how people are forging new bonds through struggle, and what you can do to make sure we emerge from the crisis stronger than we entered it.

KID FRIENDLY EVENT - Social distancing/masks required.

Let's set aside one hour on August 9th to take action together virtually.

As national uprisings swell in response to #BlackLivesMatter, we call people together to learn, get grounded, and keep pushing forward by gathering in a virtual setting.

Waltham Black Future Fund is drawing together our network to support new causes, sign petitions, make calls, send emails, and sign up for volunteer opportunities in our community. Doing it together, virtually, helps us fight the renewed violence of capitalism, white supremacy, and ableism that are so prominent in this moment while building relationships.

We are modeling this after action hours happening around the country. We hope that we will lead more Waltham-focused actions. We appreciate those who have modeled this work for us and have mentored us as we prepare for this hopefully-not-just-one-time event.

Please note: we will begin no later than 3:35pm, though you can join late if you need to!

Format:
- 10 Minutes: Waltham Black Future Fund and supporting community members will introduce themselves
- 35 Minutes: Guided by virtual marshals in breakout rooms participants will take action by signing online petitions, sending emails to local authorities, making phone calls to legislators, sharing and donating to fundraisers, and more. Participants will have the support of their breakout rooms to share best practices or receive guidance from the virtual marshals in each room.
15 Minutes: Participants will have an opportunity to reflect and debrief as a larger group.
Accessibility:
- Please let us know if you have any questions about or concerns around your virtual participation.

Please email walthamblackfuturefund@gmail.com for Zoom link

An event to show solidarity in the continued fight against systematic racism. Our work is not done and change is possible. Let’s step up Waltham and show up in solidarity of this moment as we continue to partner and push forward for a better tomorrow! Please standby for announcement on guest speakers. There will also be an open mic for Black voices, if you prefer to attend and decide on site if you would like to speak. Please reach out if you would like to be on agenda. Masks required ! Will be physical distancing !