Rise Up: Closing the Racial Wealth Divide

Join us the day before RISE UP for an overview of our conference platform, Swapcard, and an opportunity to network with other attendees. The SCG team will demonstrate how to log into Swapcard, utilize all its features, and answer any technical questions you may have. After the orientation, we will hold several rounds of speed networking to help you connect with your peers. See you there!

Despite its position as one of the world's most advanced economies, America has, time and time again, created policies that routinely fail its people—from the 2008 financial crisis, to crippling student debt, to the continued lack of universal healthcare. But there exists a common thread that links all of these problems, says public policy expert Heather McGhee: Racism. Structural racism is the driver of inequality—not just for people of color, but for everyone. In her new book The Sum Of Us, McGhee takes readers on a journey across the country, where she explores, with compassion, intelligence, and great care, what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm—the idea that progress for some of us, must come at the expense of others. "Now more than ever, racial division is a tool wielded by those who are the most wealthy, the most powerful, and the most self-interested," explains McGhee. What would actually improve our lives, and everything we share in common—from our infrastructure to our education system to democracy itself—would be to come together across racial divides. This talk, based on McGhee's extraordinarily powerful book, pulls back the curtain on how racism divides and devastates us; but it also offers a path forward—into the achievable changes we need to make to create a just and equitable future for all.

Sound healing is an ancient practice of using sound and vibration as a way to heal. Sound is innate in us all. We use sound for expression, celebration, ceremony, leisure, and healing. Sound healing is used in all aspects of medicine and spiritual growth and is necessary — to our emotional and psychological well-being. Join us along with Heather Archer, as she leads us through a sound immersion experience that will include sound healing with crystal singing bowls crafted from selected healing crystals, and guided meditation. To optimize your sound healing experience, external speakers or headphones are recommended.

This performance harnesses political, poetic storytelling with spoken word and theatre elements to question notions of desirability, single-issue identity, ableism, and mainstream normal. Themes explored during this performance include intersecting identities in a struggle with racism, misogyny, cissexism, migration, death/loss, disability, and of course, queer love and liberation. How do competition and respectability politics impose oppression, and instead, how do we uplift our whole lives to joy beyond resilience? How do we embrace a politics that doesn’t isolate or accommodate but engages everyday movements to show up for those affected? Informed by hip-hop and the jazz aesthetic, Kay intimately strips down pretense and engages in love and an examination of the world. Informed by Kay’s perspective in Disability Justice organizing, facilitations, and performances offered to over 50+ campuses nationwide, this piece will relay tangible views on ableism related to other -isms on a national level.

The racial wealth divide is upheld by a myriad of systems rooted in anti-Black racism, causing outsized economic repercussions for communities of color. Within philanthropy, some of the largest foundations acknowledge that their acquisition of assets and grant expenditures have contributed to the racial wealth gap in our nation today. As we work to close the divide, it will be imperative to resource community-led solutions — from building political power to demanding prison abolition to elevating healing justice. Join us to hear from community leaders who are weaving together strategies that will not only close the gap but ensure justice and liberation for all.

The Disability and Philanthropy Forum has provided two videos focused on disability justice, economic opportunity, and the role of philanthropy. In the first video,Disability Inclusion and Philanthropy: A Message to Funders,disability justice advocates shine a light on the diversity of the disability community and the reality that we cannot solve social and economic issues without addressing disability. In the second video, Taryn Williams discusses the crucial need to use a disability-explicit lens to achieve economic justice and racial equity.

Tackling the racial wealth divide can feel overwhelming; not only is it deeply embedded in all of our systems, but it continues to expand endlessly — worsening our country’s long history of inequity. While closing the racial wealth gap can seem like an insurmountable challenge immune to the actions of individuals, the philanthropic sector has the agency and potential to confront this injustice. Join philanthropic leaders Darren Walker and Dr. Carmen Rojas in taking a deeper dive into the individual and collective agency and power funders can harness to close the racial wealth divide. This candid conversation will explore the necessary shifts in internal philanthropic practices and radically reimagine the relationships between grantmakers and the community.

Wealth, not ability, is the biggest predictor of future prosperity. Wealth predicts not only health, education, housing, and employment but also power, self-determination, and sustainability. Over the past year, there has been increased recognition of the ways our economy prevents Black communities from building wealth and achieving prosperity. Yet, many in philanthropy continue to invest their assets in the same economic systems and structures perpetuating these inequities. It’s time to invest all of philanthropy’s resources in a new economy that aligns with our values. This session will call funders to action with opportunities to invest in Black businesses, entrepreneurs, and community infrastructure.

These scripts need to be flipped: an increase in Black college graduates will close the racial wealth gap; disparities in homeownership are driving the racial wealth divide; emulating the successes of “model minorities” will break down the split in economic inequalities. We must shift many deep-rooted harmful narratives in individual, institutional, and societal belief systems. Philanthropy can use narrative and cultural change strategies to not only understand the rift in economic inequities, but more importantly, to build power in marginalized communities. Join us for a generative and transformative conversation on changing our narrative about narrative change and building cross-racial narrative and culture power.

What does a future look like where everyone in LA County has equal access to the opportunities and support they need to thrive? Join LA vs. Hate and The Guild of Future Architects Writers Room as they imagine a beautiful future — free of hatred and inequity. This ten-minute piece, commissioned for SCG’s 2021 Virtual Conference, will bring listeners into a world of possibilities to manifest a courageous future where we all succeed.

Whether in an office or at home, we continue to work under tremendous pressure as we see the pandemic impact our communities, families, and the world. Though our minds and bodies may be resilient, we must pause, refocus, and reconnect with ourselves. We invite you to join us for a 15-minute wellness session where you will learn breathing techniques and stretching exercises to help you practice self-care from your desk daily!

In recent years, several cities have piloted guaranteed income programs and demonstrated their potential as a critical strategy in alleviating poverty. Today, Los Angeles County is overseeing the most extensive county-run guaranteed income program in the country. As we continue to learn from LA County’s pilot, it is clear that solutions that prioritize both economic hardship and racial injustice are essential to closing the racial wealth gap in the United States. Join us for a conversation with cross-sector leaders who will discuss the research behind the guaranteed income pilots, the lessons learned so far, and how funders can leverage their investments to ensure the pilots reach their full potential.

The pandemic intensified racial and economic inequities, leaving many communities in precarious conditions, particularly young people grappling with substantial unemployment, months of lost learning, and an uncertain future. However, the past year has shown that cross-sector leaders are ready to empower and engage young people in creating the solutions needed for an equitable recovery. After all, the funding and policy actions we take today will determine the opportunities available for generations to come. In this session, we will learn about the urgent interventions young leaders are designing with community and philanthropic partners to advance youth-centered solutions for a better future.

How do we change systems and build a new world centered in dignity and wellness? From confronting the prison-industrial complex to changing mainstream narratives, join abolitionist and activist Patrisse Cullors to close out SCG’s 2021 Annual Conference with personal stories and a call for collective action.

Join us for thirty minutes of connection and dialogue as we kick off day two of RISE UP. This session will bring funders together to reflect on how they can translate conference content and strategies to action, keep each other accountable, and pave the way forward to close the racial wealth divide.

Once deemed “one of the most politically relevant artists in her genre” by Paste Magazine, Raye Zaragoza now offers an intimate exploration of coming into her own, in a country where for many, simply existing is political. Join Raye for a live performance of music to fight for, represent, and celebrate those left too long outside the spotlight.