Marking the anniversary of George Floyd’s death, a new effort called the Black Future Co-op Fund announced this week that 40 Black-led organizations will be splitting $1 million in funding.
Democratic Sen. T'wina Nobles represents the 28th Legislative District and is one of the founders of the co-op. She also is the first Black Washington state senator to serve in a decade.
“As we think about the experience of the Black community and African-American community in this country, this is just one small way that we can tell our community that they are amazing, that there is so much to be proud of as Black Americans and that we see them," Nobles said in a recent interview about why she and others created the fund for nonprofits in the region.
A wide variety of groups will benefit from the new grant funding — from an organization that raises breast cancer awareness in the African-American community, to another that boosts educational opportunities for youth living in Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood.
Executive director of Peace Community Center Denice Randlewill receive $25,000 for her organization. She says the money will help fund mentors who teach students academic subjects such as science and technology, fields in which people of color have been traditionally underrepresented.
“Our goal is to expose our students to those opportunities and to ensure that they are seeing leaders of color who look like them in these roles and to make sure that our students are developing the academic skill sets to ensure that they can compete and be competitive,” Randle said.
The Black Future Co-op Fund announced that it will continue to raise funds to support nonprofits working toward Black liberation.
