Nonprofits =/= Revolution (This Black-Ass Life)
Welcome to the 101st installment of This Black-Ass Life! This week, we want to talk about that lil’ reality show that has everyone abuzz. It seems to be part of the natural evolution of change possible within our nonprofit/advocacy systems.
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I. The Facts
The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. - Audre Lorde
Nonprofits are tax-exempt legal entities organized and operated for collective social benefits and causes. Allegedly. Some numbers:
The U.S. nonprofit sector contributes more than 1 trillion dollars annually in economic activity, accounting for 5.6 percent of our GDP. On its own, this makes the nonprofit sector one of the largest economies in the world, surpassing the annual economic activity of most countries.
As of 2016, nonprofits have over 5.99 trillion dollars in combined assets.
There is a professional class of 12.3 million non-profiteers (of which we - Jumoke & Mitu - are a part) working at 1.5 million nonprofits.
The issues plaguing nonprofits are plentiful, but three troubling trends highlight why they are typically not effective agents of change:
the education and understanding of change has grown more akin to corporate management techniques than transformational change;
the stratification between non-profiteers and the people they serve continues to widen;
and most importantly, there is a need to contort to the whims and desires of billionaires and/or government officials to stay afloat. It has always been this way in America. Check out this remark from Attorney General Robert Kennedy speaking to SNCC activists in 1961, "Why don't you guys cut out all that shit, freedom riding and sitting-in shit, and concentrate on voter education...If you do that I'll get you a tax exemption."
So it’s no surprise that we are at a point where activism is a market-driven reality show in the form of a competition hosted by Usher, Julianne Hough, who donned blackface due to her suffering (someone tell us what this means, please!), and alleged war stan Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
Why does it matter?
We can talk mess about this Activist reality show all day. Still, it is a natural extension of nonprofits competing with sad stories and impact numbers for funds from corporate CSR and wealthy family foundations.
Activism is already framed as a zero-sum game where the framing and narrative of your work (and how well it does on social media) matters!
On top of that, people from marginalized backgrounds often feel compelled to be part of “mission-driven work.” They then experience mistreatment within these spaces (click here for an infographic!) while also feeling limited by the structures within which they hope to enact change.
Once people who are part of this work are limited by the rules surrounding their funds and the systems around them, and once these missions become palatable enough to market, you’re left with a watered-down, toothless version of the original dream you had for change.
Presented without further comment: A Black Representative for Queen Elizabeth II Says the Royal Family Supports Black Lives Matter.
What can my Black ass do?
Read! Try Audre Lorde’s The Master's Tools Will Never Dismantle The Master's House, Manning Marable’s How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America, and Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Of course, there is so much more literature to consume, but these are great reads on working within and outside of systems.
Donate your time, talents, gently used items, and dollars to mutual aids. Check out this directory of mutual aids.
If that activist show gets made, please don’t give it views with hate watches. But if you do, please email us to confirm if Ush bucks are included in the prize package.
ll. Other Things
Don’t forget the prenup
Black women released bangers this week. Enjoy Have Mercy, Coastin’ and Pressure.
Who else shed a tear when Lizzo surprised her mama with a whole new wardrobe?
Social media (rightfully) bullied the VMAs into including a Normani performance.
What Maya Cade has done with the Black Film Archive is nothing short of amazing!
Awww, Uzo Aduba! Congratulations!
Bread-winning women in all income brackets, heed Octavia: Always sign a prenup!
Congrats Bri Bri!
Regina King is even more talented than we thought.
Also, THIS PHOTO SPREAD!
Y’all. The way Zendaya ran the Venice Film Festival??
Our Black-Ass song(s) of the week (Jumoke):
Somebody’s Son -- Tiwa Savage ft. Brandy is so sweet and melodic.
Also September, because September.
Things we look forward to / don’t long forward to:
I (Jumoke) look forward to the Black girl autumnal retreat with Mitu!
I (Mitu) look forward to Gabrielle Union’s next book; please read this excerpt.
lll. Text from a Black-Ass Parent
A reminder from Jumoke’s mama: Get your flu shots, y’all!
Stay Black, thrive, and prioritize your care! We'll hit your inbox next on September 27.