August 28th, 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. It marks a pivotal day in American history when citizens forced two institutions, the Department of Labor and The department of Justice, to acknowledge issues of economic and civil inequality. 50 years later, Americans will convene and march again to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the March on Washington. Equally important, citizens can draw attention to recent issues that continue to frustrate Americans 50 years after the 1963 march. Read more

This post was authored by Paul Bachleitner, Project Director of Joint Affinity Groups (JAG) and was originally published on the JAG Blog. It appears here as part of the EPIP-JAG blogging partnership, “Wit and Wisdom”. Less than three weeks ago, the not guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin rocked the nation. The outrage directed at Zimmerman and stand your ground laws was merited, but it might have been better directed at the policies and structural barriers that cast men and boys of color as criminals and wary citizens in a shoot-first mentality. Read more

Finding a mentor is tough. We all know it. So this year, EPIP LA is piloting its first ever mentorship program to make that process a little easier for our members. Through our Mentorship Program, EPIP LA aims to provide participants with the tools needed to seek out and develop meaningful connections with experienced leaders and their peers. Read more

EPIP Boston is recruiting for our chapter Steering Committee and Ambassadors program! We are looking for diverse, committed colleagues who can help further the mission of EPIP Boston. We welcome those who will bring in new ideas and excitement to our thriving chapter. Steering Committee The EPIP Boston Steering Committee is responsible for all aspects of the Chapter’s operations and requires significant time and effort to contribute to both strategic planning and execution of chapter programming, as well as some involvement with the national network. Read more

This post originally appeared on the Resource Generation blog and was written by Ashley Horan, James Schaffer, Sarah Abbott, and Isaac Lev Szmonko of Resource Generation. “Justice was always going to elude Trayvon Martin, not because the system failed, but because it worked. Martin died and Zimmerman walked because our entire political and legal foundations were built on an ideology of settler colonialism — an ideology in which the protection of white property rights was always sacrosanct; predators and threats to those privileges were almost always black, brown, and red; and where the very purpose of police power was to discipline, monitor, and contain populations rendered a threat to white property and privilege.”  – Robin D.G. Kelley Read more

EPIP members are invited to take part in an upcoming Web Conference on gender equity, presented by Riki Wilchins, National Council on Gender and Executive Director, TrueChild and Andrew Levack, MPH, Director, U.S. Programs, EngenderHealth. Details: “Gender transformative programs: Lessons learned from HIV prevention and other health programs” Tuesday, July 30, 2013 11 AM PDT/2 PM EDT (90 min) For those of us focused on social justice issues, it is critical to add a gender lens to our work. Gender justice should be on our radar as funders. The folks at TrueChild specialize in gender equity and gender norms. They are a significant resource and have made their research available to the public. Read more

I often describe EPIP gatherings as scenes that evoke images reminiscent of a United Colors of Benetton advertisement. Our members come in all hues and orientations. That is the beauty of our organization. We are extremely diverse and comfortable coming together to discuss how we can work to make the world a better place. However, talking about race isn’t a comfortable task. We all come to the conversation with different sets of experiences that frame how we see the world. We also live in communities that have long histories impacted by race, affecting how different groups interact with each other. Read more

EPIP Members, We wanted to remind you of a member benefit that is yours to take advantage of. The Grantmaking School gives $250 in discounts to current EPIP members in good standing. Take advantage of the following courses: Advanced Grant Portfolio Management-Aug. 20-21 in New Orleans, LA Grant Financial Analysis-Sept 26-27 in Grand Rapids, MI Evaluation for Grantmakers-Nov. 4-5 in Chicago, IL EPIP members will receive a $250 discount at registration. *Members must be in good standing More info at: http://gvsu.edu/jcp/module-event-index.htm Read more

EPIP Members, We wanted to remind you of a member benefit that is yours to take advantage of. The Grantmaking School gives $250 in discounts to current EPIP members in good standing. Take advantage of the following courses: Advanced Grant Portfolio Management-Aug. 20-21 in New Orleans, LA Grant Financial Analysis-Sept 26-27 in Grand Rapids, MI Evaluation for Grantmakers-Nov. 4-5 in Chicago, IL EPIP members will receive a $250 discount at registration. *Members must be in good standing Find more info at: http://gvsu.edu/jcp/module-event-index.htm Read more

Greetings EPIPers,

In an effort to share the resources that our fantastic members create and disseminate, I’m thrilled to share the recording of the EPIP webinar that Sadia Kalam and Erin Barnes hosted last week, titled “10 Reasons You Should Be Using Social Media for Professional Development & 4 Ways to Get Started.” 

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