Join Us For Sankofa Summer

This week, Sankofa Summer will be approaching racial justice and equity from two very different angles, with one talk that focuses on the interpersonal by Having More Effective, Genuine, and Humanizing Racial Justice Conversations and another that spotlights how data impacts equity in Reimagining Evaluation and Research in Service of Equity. We'll also be holding another affinity group space that brings together people with similar identities for sharing and healing.

And we're not done yet - over the few weeks we'll have sessions on everything from Healing Divides at the US-Mexico Border to Navigating Entrenched Philanthropic Systems from Within.

Click here to register and join us!

Week 3 Recap: A Deeper Look at Abolition

Week 3 of EPIP's virtual learning series Sankofa Summer featured a talk, Abolition: Re-defining Free & Safe for Communities of Color By Those Most Impacted, that was filled with resources to better understand and support the movement to eliminate imprisonment, policing, and surveillance and create lasting alternatives to punishment and imprisonment.

The session ended with a call to action that we heard at the CHANGE Philanthropy Unity Summit and that has been echoed by many organizations and organizers doing the work of change.: Support Black-led organizations. Fund the unsexy work of implementation. Fund experiments and the work of figuring it out. Fund us like you want us to win.

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We hope you're enjoying Sankofa Summer, EPIP's summer virtual learning series. The series runs until mid-August, and in the first 2 weeks alone, we've heard from women of color about leadership in philanthropy, learned about healing justice and brave space building, and looked at ways to make an impact through philanthropic practice. If you haven't registered yet, don't worry! You can see replays of most of our sessions to date as soon as you sign up, and we have a full month of content left, including sessions on Abolition (this Thursday, July 23rd), Racial Justice conversations, Reframing and Shifting power in the sector, and more.

If you haven't yet registered, click here to learn more and sign up today!

Join Chapter Events Across The Country

Sankofa Summer isn't the only opportunity to participate in an EPIP event this month. EPIP chapters across the country are hosting conversations, social events, happy hours, community check-ins and more! Click here for the full line-up!

Share Your Thoughts about Virtual Meetings

Want a chance to share what's working and what's not in virtual meetings, webinars, and webcasts? It's likely that virtual meetings and convenings will remain a part of the philanthropic (and overall work) landscape for some time to come - this is your chance to help shape what that landscape looks like.

Click here to take this quick 10-minute survey...and if you provide your email, you'll be among the first to get the results.

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EPIP's virtual learning series, Sankofa Summer, kicked off last week with healing, reflection, and inspiration.

• Our Opening Plenary featured a free-flowing conversation between women of color leaders from EPIP's past and present, with words of wisdom including:

"Everything you do in philanthropy takes good research and courage." - Linetta Gilbert, EPIP Initial Angel Investor

"I believe we are all powerful in our own ways, whatever our titles may be. It's what we do with that power that matters." - Storme Gray, EPIP Executive Director

• A Healing Justice 101 session asked participants to consider what sustains us in our work, which personal and structural barriers deplete us, and how impacts of oppression show up within ourselves, our institutions, and our communities. The facilitators, Erika Totten and Naimah Efia, then shared strategies for applying healing justice to individuals, organizations, and communities.

• And our opening Happy Hour brought together the community for fun and conversation.

In week 2, Sankofa Summer will help you deepen your understanding and practice of philanthropy. Join us for People's Orientation to Grantmaking for a Just Transition, Creating a Culture of Healing and Emotional Self Care to Disrupt White Supremacy, and The Missing Ingredient in Land Acknowledgements.

Click here to register and join us!

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EPIP's virtual learning series, Sankofa Summer, kicks off this week with events that help you heal, learn from the leadership of women of color, and virtually connect with the philanthropic community.

Join us for:

• An interactive workshop on Healing Justice that shares tools for wellness and resilience, breaks down core concepts of healing justice, and focuses on sustaining movement-building for the long term.
• Our opening plenary, Sankofa!! Paving the Way for Women of Color Leaders in Philanthropy, which brings together several of the women who have helped lead EPIP to where it is today, including former EPIP board members and current EPIP ED Storme Gray. Listen in as they talk about the impact and influence of EPIP on the sector and the challenges and opportunities for women of color leaders in philanthropy.
• Our opening Happy Hour - a chance to connect with other Sankofa Summer attendees from across the philanthropic sector.

And that's just the beginning...over the next 6 weeks we'll have sessions on everything from Creating a Culture of Healing and Emotional Self Care to Disrupt White Supremacy to Can't Change What You Can't See: Demographic Data Learning Lab.

Click here to register and join us!

And In Case You Were Wondering...

We've gotten a few questions about Sankofa Summer since announcing the virtual learning series, and we wanted to answer them here in case they were also on your mind:

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