Vigil for George Floyd at Civic Center Park in June 2020; photo credit: Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Today marks the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s tragic death in Minneapolis. The video footage of his murder galvanized a movement across the country, including in our local community. In the past year, we have seen long-overdue and much-needed attention paid to racial justice across a range of issue areas, spaces in which many community organizations have been working for years. There is much work to do, but as we reflect on the past year, we hope it will be recorded in history as a meaningful turning point towards justice and equity.
Looking to the work ahead, we are excited to release a new resource for your own philanthropy. Our Racial Justice and Equity Giving Guide includes information about organizations Rose Community Foundation has supported that are addressing systemic inequities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities with a particular focus on uplifting the Black community in Greater Denver. Their leaders are proximate to the issues they seek to address, are part of the communities they serve and are visionaries who are driven to create change. Rose Community Foundation supports these organizations’ local racial equity work, and we hope that you will join us in learning about and funding their efforts.
Because the impacts of systemic racism and bias are so pervasive, the Foundation’s partners include groups working at the intersection of racial equity, justice and a wide range of local issue areas spanning education, housing, transportation, economic opportunity, criminal justice, environment, community safety, arts and culture, youth empowerment, civic engagement and more. For details about the nonprofits and their approaches, please visit their individual websites (links are within the Giving Guide) or reach out to our Philanthropic Services team.
In the Jewish community, when a person passes away, we say “May his memory be a blessing.” That sentiment rings true for George Floyd and the legacy of change he has sparked. On the anniversary of his death, we renew our pledge to continue working toward racial justice and equity and we are grateful to all who join us in that commitment.
We hope this Giving Guide is the first of many from Rose Community Foundation. If there are other topics you’d like us to explore in the future, please let us know.