Dr. King gave his life for racial integration, but he also feared that he integrated his people into a burning house. In the midst of a global pandemic, the United States gained 56 new billionaires bringing the total to 659. The wealth held by that small cadre of Americans has jumped by more than $1 trillion in the months since the pandemic began. Yet Covid-19 has torn through Black America, with the virus taking the lives of Black people in the US at twice the rate of white Americans. Further, the CDC recorded the highest number ever of drug overdose deaths in 2020, and Moody’s economic analysts are projecting a wave of evictions, 760,000 to as many as 4 million nationwide. How do we respond? What is required of your nonprofit to fight poverty at this time? We are joined by Yolanda F. Johnson and Marlon Williams. Yolanda is the founder of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy. As a social justice fundraiser with more than two decades of experience in the non-profit sector, she has successfully led fundraising operations for a wide range of non-profit organizations. Marlon is the Principal of Middle School 180 in the Bronx. A champion for equity, Marlon works to engage the entire school community in deconstructing institutional racism.
