Growing up, I wanted to be president. It was more than a childhood dream. In elementary school, I wrote anti-war, environmentalist letters to then President Bill Clinton. In middle school, my best friend gifted me a “future president” t-shirt as a joke, but I wore it earnestly. I would practice speeches in the bathroom mirror, […]
After the latest grant round for the Early Care and Education Funders Collaborative, I received an email from the President of one of our new Grantee Partners. It was right before Thanksgiving, and she wrote, “I have so much to be thankful for. You, especially, and The Women’s Foundation will be on my Thanksgiving list […]
On December 10th Cara Page, Black Queer Feminist cultural/memory worker, curator, and organizer and Richael Faithful (they/them), a multi/interdisciplinary folk healing artist, healing culture strategist, conflict worker, radical lawyer, complex conversation facilitator and visionary creative joined us for #AskThem. Attendees listened to a poignant discussion on healing justice and how it can benefit women, girls […]
Through our Young Women’s Initiative, we make investments in the District of Columbia to dismantle racist and sexist systems that harm young women and gender-expansive youth of color. We know the most innovative solutions come from youth themselves, as they experience intersecting issues and systems, and are the experts on what they need to succeed. […]
On November 19th, Dani Ayers, Chief Executive Officer of me too. International and Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat, Washington Area Women’s Foundation President and CEO had a poignant discussion on the evolution of the Me Too Movement, the protection of women and girls of color and what philanthropy can do to support survivors of sexual violence. #AskHer is […]
Our #AskHer series is an interview with our partners, community members and supporters who work tirelessly for women and girls. This interview is with Chloe I. Edwards, Advocacy and Engagement Manager at Voices for Virginia’s Children. The interview was conducted by our President and CEO, Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat. Voices for Virginia’s Children is one of our Grantee […]
On October 28th, we talked to Alencia Johnson, Chief Impact Officer and Founder, 1063 West Broad, about the role women of color play in the election, the power of Black voters, voter suppression and why centering women and girls of color in the election is so important. #AskHer is an interview series featuring women leaders, […]
Findings from the Washington Region ECE Workforce Network to inform the current child care crisis Early care and education systems in the United States have been instable, at best, for decades. In fact, it is difficult to call it a true system. It is more a patchwork of different funding, regulations, and ideologies sewn […]
On October 1st, we were joined by human rights leader and co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Opal Tometi. We had a timely discussion about Black Lives Matter, activism, protecting Black women and girls, and what policymakers and philanthropy can do to advance racial justice. Please support Opal’s new project: https://www.diasporarising.org/ #AskHer is an interview series […]
On August 27th we were joined by Ai-jen Poo, co-founder and Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center. Moderated by The Women’s Foundation’s Program Officer Claudia Williams, we discussed what policymakers and philanthropy can do to advance the care workforce and […]
In the fall of 2014, I walked into a jam-packed room with 75 other eager women. We had all shown up expressing an interest in forming a new chapter of an organization committed to ensuring Black women and girls live in a world where socioeconomic inequity does not exist. A bold endeavor, but long overdue. […]
Our #AskHer series is an interview with our partners, community members and supporters who work tirelessly for women and girls. This interview is with Dr. Marla Dean, Executive Director of Bright Beginnings, Inc. The interview was conducted by our Vice President of Programs, Martine Sadarangani Gordon. Bright Beginnings, Inc. is a Stand Together Fund recipient. Martine […]
At The Women’s Foundation, we know that philanthropy is not immune to the racist ideas that permeate society. In 2016, we publicly committed to tackling racism head on and advancing equity for women and girls of color. We committed to better understand how racism shows up in our sector and to fix it from within. […]
#AskHer is an interview series with women leaders, our partners, community members and supporters who work tirelessly for women and girls.The webinar series is for in-depth conversations around complex issues affecting our constituents. Issues ranging from racism, racial justice, women, girls, intersectionality and more will be covered. Our inaugural #AskHer webinar series was a poignant […]
I watched a Black woman get thrown into a dumpster on Tuesday. I was minding my business on Twitter when I saw the video. There she was talking when a group of boys in the District physically picked her up and threw her in a nearby dumpster. Their laughter grew loud as she lay in the trash, crying and […]
I wrote this piece four years ago. It was a punch to the gut reading it today because nothing has changed, except for the names—1,000 names, in fact, of people who lost their lives simply for being Black. To my staff, my colleagues, and my friends whose pain, grief and trauma is indescribable and unrelenting—I’m sorry. Your pain […]
Our new #AskHer series is an interview with our partners, community members and supporters who work tirelessly for women and girls. Our latest interview is with Hanh Le, Executive Director of the Weissberg Foundation. The interview was conducted by our Communications Manager, Mercy Chikowore. As we navigate our way through the ongoing global pandemic, there are […]
Our new #AskHer series is an interview with our partners, community members and supporters who work tirelessly for women and girls. Our first interview is with Indira Henard, Executive Director of DC Rape Crisis Center. The interview was conducted by our Vice President of Programs, Martine Sadarangani Gordon. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. As we […]
Washington Area Women’s Foundation is working to support women and girls of color in our region who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Learn about our new ‘Stand Together Fund’ and find out how to get involved here: https://wawf.org/StandTogetherFund
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