The Role of Community-Based Participatory Research
02/15/2018
Theresa Fujiwara, United Way of King County and Lauren Kastanas, El Centro de la Raza | 
To better understand how philanthropic investments could help Latino communities to thrive in Seattle and South King County, WA, the United Way of King County partnered with the University of Washington School of Public Health and El Centro de la Raza to design a research process that would center the voices of those most affected by the issues and help funders hear and learn from them, especially regarding what their funding priorities should be. more »
Central District Forum is continuing the legacy that was laid before us, with a mission to provide a platform for provocative arts and ideas that foster awareness of and involvement in Black experiences. I can only imagine how hard it was for the supporters back then to start CD Forum because sustaining the organization in 2018 is challenging work. The good news is that funders throughout the field increasingly agree that it is important to develop a funding practice and structure that includes diversity, equity, inclusion and access. 
In celebration of Black History Month and continued observance of this year’s National Day of Racial Healing, our team sat with Dr. Gail C. Christopher, a former Senior Advisor and Vice President at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and architect of the foundation's Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation (TRHT) framework, to discuss what reflective practices she has used to meet challenges as a philanthropic practitioner. 
In observance of this year's National Day of Racial Healing, our team had the honor and privilege to sit in conversation with Liz Medicine Crow, President and CEO of the First Alaskans Institute and a longtime member of Philanthropy Northwest’s Board of Directors. The following is an excerpt of our dialogue on racial healing, and the ongoing work required for achieving it. 
Conversations on America’s legacy of racism and xenophobia can be difficult, even make us uncomfortable. But silence would signal indifference, and we are not indifferent to the historic and contemporary effects of racism, or the racial divisiveness resurfacing across our country today. That’s why we join the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in recognizing the second annual National Day of Racial Healing and promoting the their Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation framework as a means for building a more equitable tomorrow. 
Today, Philanthropy Northwest joins countless across the country in celebrating the values of truth, justice, dignity and compassion that radiated from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his teachings of service and love for humanity. These same values underpin Philanthropy Northwest’s diverse membership, and help underscore the many roles that philanthropy can play in remedying injustice and upholding the common good. 
