Summit Track 1: Communications and Media Consumption: Addressing Negative Images of Blacks in the Media

A key tenant of the Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities framework is the use of grantmaking resources to minimize the dominance of negative images of Black communities. Grantmaking entities and donors are uniquely positioned to support a more balanced and authentic representation of Black life. This Summit will highlight examples from around the US where foundations are working with a broad array of media outlets and partners to communicate an empowering narrative of Black communities.

Please join The Opportunity Agenda for a comprehensive presentation compiling three new research studies, which examine perceptions of and by African-American men and boys and their relationship to the media, and a discussion of recommendations for the communications efforts of those seeking to improve opportunity for black males around the country.

Academics and advocates have spent significant time investigating the relationships among media representations, public attitudes, and opportunity for African Americans. To foster the incorporation of this knowledge into the work of those trying to improve black male achievement, The Opportunity Agenda has examined the following:

1. Social Science Literature on Media Representations and Impact on the Lives of Black Men and Boys
2. Public Opinion Research Related to Black Male Achievement
3. Media Market Research: Media Consumption Trends Among Black Men

Presenter: Alan Jenkins, Co-Founder and Executive Director, The Opportunity Agenda

Opportunity Agenda Team: Eleni Delimpaltadaki
Janet Dewart Bell

LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Platinum Salon I & J (2nd Floor)

REGISTRATION: ABFE Member and Non-Member (Included in Registration Fee)

Summit Track 2: Policy and System Change – Establishing Models of Collaboration (Site Visit)

A key tenant of the Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities framework is the use of grantmaking resources to coordinate the policies and services of public systems that support Black families. Comprehensive neighborhood-based initiatives are critical to building strong communities however they pose unique challenges to funders, donors and service providers alike. Inequitable outcomes in Black communities are often promoted and maintained by the cumulative effective of policies and practices across systems.

This Summit will examine how the LA Black Worker Center and its coalition members partnered with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, building and construction trades and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract and Compliance to establish a five-year agreement that requires a hiring program for more than $30 billion in transit projects, ultimately creating an estimated 270,000 wage-paying union jobs. As the nation’s first master project labor agreement approved by a regional transportation agency, this landmark policy contains equal opportunity provisions and disadvantaged worker criteria that provide fair access for communities that have been historically excluded from the economy.

Policy Criteria Examples:
1. 40% of all work hours will be performed by workers from targeted zip codes with the highest unemployment and poverty rates, and
2. 10% of those jobs will be filled by disadvantaged workers who have been incarcerated, homeless, chronically unemployed, single parents or military veterans.

The first project to break ground under the agreement is the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor, a light rail that will run through the heart of South Los Angeles.

Panelists: Lola Smallwood Cuevas, LA Black Worker Center, LA Black Worker Center Coordinator
Pete White, LA CAN, Executive Director
Marqueece Harris-Dawson, Community Coalition, Executive Director
Susan Burton, A New Way of Life, Founder/Executive Director

LOCATION: The Watts Community Labor Action Center

REGISTRATION: ABFE Member and Non-Member (Included in Registration Fee)

Summit Track 3: Community Engagement in Black Communities – Using Networks to Effect Change

A key tenant of the Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities framework is the use of grantmaking resources to engage the specific constituency/target population of Black communities in which it ultimately aims to support in the design and evaluation of grantmaking, policy and/or programs. With an increased understanding of the strengths and assets of a diverse Black Diaspora, grantmakers will provide more effective tactics in their grantmaking. This will inform a range of culturally appropriate engagement strategies that should ensure authentic and inclusive participation of constituents who can voice and act upon their community’s strengths and unique challenges.

The 2025 Network for Black Men and Boys is a collective partnership made up of various place-based and national organizations that have come together with an explicit vision to create a society with new social and economic realities that inspire ambition and hope among Black males. Hear examples from a select group of the Network’s local impact sites in Atlanta, GA, New Orleans, LA, and Tucson, AZ, that illustrate how they employ the principle of community engagement to support efforts that restore aspiration for Black populations and work with groups to advocate on their own behalf for lasting change.

Panelists: Cheo Tyehimba Taylor, Founder & CEO, Forward Ever Media Center
David Payne, Executive Director, The Atlanta Community Engagement Team
Jonathan TD Peck, President & CEO, Tucson Urban League
Kelley Brown, D5 Director, Network Specialist
Trupania W. Bonner, Executive Director, Moving Forward Gulf Coast, Inc. and Director, NOLA Black Men & Boys Initiative

LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Platinum Salon G (2nd Floor)

REGISTRATION: ABFE Member and Non-Member (Included in Registration Fee)

Summit Track 4: Leverage the Trust Campaign: The Role of Black Foundation Trustees in Support of Black Communities

Trustees are key to facilitating a form of foundation grantmaking that is responsive to Black communities. This Summit is designed to provide insight on various leadership styles and key characteristics of successful leadership. Building on the knowledge of the Responsive Philanthropy in Black Communities Trustee Institute the previous day, participants will collectively consider methods of challenging the status quo; offering support and encouragement to colleagues and foundation leadership; articulating a clear vision of more equitable outcomes for Black communities through philanthropic activity; and modeling leadership as a trustee.

Presenter: Professor john a. powell, Director, Haas Center for Diversity and Inclusion, University of California Berkeley
Greg Hodge, Khepera Consulting, Principal (Facilitator)

LOCATION: JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE, Platinum Salon H (2nd Floor)

REGISTRATION: (Trustees Only – Pre-registration Required)