A Breakthrough for BIPOC Leaders

Another February is upon us and it is time to shine a spotlight on the contributions African Americans have made to the great experiment that is American Democracy, an institution that as a people, has never been taken for granted. 

The freedom to prosper and live in peace has always been the American ideal and now in 2023 that ideal still remains sadly out of reach for many Americans of African descent. It is impossible to quantify what African Americans have meant to the success of America, far too many to enumerate here but I encourage anyone to visit the digital resource guide at the National Museum of African American History & Culture for an introduction to those contributions. 

In the cause of liberty and progress African Americans have given one hundred percent of their effort, passion, dedication, and hope even when the country rejected their desire to participate as full fledged citizens. Despite those obstacles the African American community has shown up and delivered when America has needed their contributions the most.  

America is waking up to the hard truth that equity continues to be the ideal but not the reality. There has been progress for sure but it would be an insult to democracy, freedom, and America if we were to accept anything less than full equality from a society that claims to be the shining example of freedom and equality in the world. 

We are seeing many organizations, philanthropies, and foundations taking inclusivity and equity into their own hands and doing all they can to give African Americans a long deserved seat at the table. It also appears the majority of society want to see us “get to the mountain top”. 

They can no longer stomach open racism or the more insidious microaggressions that have been in the DNA of many organizations keeping African Americans from moving up.  

As society pushes toward full equality we need to anticipate some of the unintended consequences. For example, being welcomed with open arms is the goal but it can also be lonely and uncertain creating circumstances for high levels of anxiety. We need to be sure we are setting leaders up for success beyond education particularly in areas of self care, building healthy workplace and family relationships, and providing solid peer support networks where African American leaders can build eachother up, share insights, solve problems, support and be supported.

This is why we have developed the UnBoxed2lead BIPOC Leaders’ Peer Support Community. While available to all high level leaders we wanted to start with a special customized program for BIPOC nonprofit and community leaders. These leaders are the foundation for forward progress. The work they do is rooted in selflessness and a passion to bring real change to their communities and causes. These leaders face a unique set of social, economic, and have suffered from a lack of resources that are a constant uphill battle for their efforts. We believe It is imperative to invest in these leaders and their overall well being.

Through the generosity of various foundations we have been able to provide 20 scholarships for the BIPOC Leaders’ Peer Support Community. The first cohort begins March 28th and we are accepting and reviewing applications now. You can read the full press release here for more details on the program and if you are interested you can apply here.