In my first month at Social Justice Fund I have embarked on a journey to listen to members, grantees and allies--the voices that give meaning to the work of the Social Justice Fund. So far, I have traveled in Washington, Oregon, Wyoming and now Montana. Soon I will visit Idaho.
I am writing this letter sitting in the lobby of a hotel in Missoula, Montana. I just finished a marathon trip (from Glendive to Missoula) meeting with groups of powerful Montana leaders that included representatives and advocates from rural, Native American, Latino, immigrant and LGBT communities. Over a series of meals, community folk, members, grantees and even Lieutenant Governor Bohlinger narrated to me the realities of working in a context where a short jaunt is 3 hours and where getting 10 people together for a meeting is a great success.
Before going to Montana, I spent five days in Wyoming where I met with elected officials, Social Justice Fund members, and grantees. These visits helped me to better understand what people are working on, how few resources they have available, and how they are succeeding anyway. Both in Wyoming and in Montana I walked away with a sense of awe for folks doing powerful work.
I started my visits in Wyoming because it was the first place I came to in the U.S. as an immigrant in late high school. Returning to Wyoming ironically felt like coming home.
It is interesting for me to return to Wyoming as a “giver”—a philanthropist—when my first experience in that state was as a young immigrant, what the conservative media would stereotype as a “taker.” I found poetic justice in the inversion of roles, not just for me as a human being, or a Latino, or an immigrant, but also for the type of work that Social Justice Fund does.
The idea of philanthropy in the United States is often confused with the image of rich people who provide charity to those who are less fortunate. But for us here at Social Justice Fund, it’s not just about wealthy people—it’s also the Marias and Joses, the Joes and the Cindys who figure out how to pool and leverage their money and fund the grassroots causes that they really care about. Democratic philanthropy is about all of us, together, being “givers” to our communities and not waiting for someone to come save us. From there, we are able to make tough decisions about where to fund true social justice work. We support work in areas that many other progressive groups have simply given up:
One reason why I have started visiting our members and grantees in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho--not just the big states of Washington and Oregon--is because much of the progressive movement has stereotyped and/or ceded these states. But I am witness that powerful work is happening in those “conservative” states. We can connect those communities with people doing work across the region to create significant change.
An example of this happened while I was being interviewed by Wyoming Public Radio, which had scheduled me to talk about “transients” and “illegal aliens.” Because of the relatively small number of immigrants in the state and a lack of advocacy infrastructure, anti-immigration groups and their propaganda have successfully made immigration a ringer issue in Wyoming. As I talked with the radio host, and after introducing the concept of unearned privilege, the conversation shifted from talking about “those outsiders” to how communities can become welcoming and why it is in their own interest to do so. This subtle shift in framing was only possible because it connected with the humanity and goodness of a radio host (and her community) who was willing to listen with her heart.
As the new executive director of the Social Justice Fund, I pledge to continue the legacy of this work by remembering our roots as an organization while integrating the voices that lead today’s struggle. I do this because social justice is more than a job for me, it is my life’s work--and the Northwest is my first home in the U.S.
It is with this pledge in mind that I invite you to become part of this the social justice movement by becoming a major donor and/or member, serving on granting committees (as Uma Rao has done), attending our site visits or events or by applying for a grant. In addition, I invite you to call, email or visit with me. I am eager to hear from as many of you as possible, and I know that our work as an organization will be enriched by your voice.
I look forward to hearing from you.
John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas
(click here to email John-Paul)