Haymarket People's Fund: Anti-Racist Philanthropy in the 21st century

Rising costs of food and housing; attacks on healthcare reform and worker's rights; gentrification continuing the displacement of communities that have been the cultural backbone of neighborhoods; criminalization of immigrants through violence, intimidation, and policing of borders. All of these crises have root causes which are systemic and institutional in nature.

In the year of its 35th anniversary, Boston-based Haymarket People's Fund, a social justice foundation, remains poised to continue its role in supporting a grassroots level of leadership in New England that not only affects change, but brings about the social transformation for people who are directly impacted. This is social justice philanthropy for the 21st century which sets Haymarket apart. Haymarket works to increase sustainable community philanthropy throughout the region and envisions a world free of racism and other oppressions:
Where peace and cooperation flourish
Where people are valued and respected for their gifts and able to bring their whole selves to humanity
Where vibrant communities thrive and different cultures are celebrated
Where abundant resources and opportunities are equally shared and distributed while honoring the earth and all within it

Haymarket believes that community organizing is the most effective strategy for achieving our vision of an equitable, peaceful and humane world. By organizing, this mean efforts led by those most affected by injustice focus on two things: root causes of the problems and changing the institutions and structures of power that keep injustice in place. And for real change to occur, organizing must be anti-racist and recognize the intersection of racism and other forms of oppression.

Racism in the United States has divided all social change movements and has limited the effectiveness of organizing work. These are not just words, but real practices which reinforce inequities and injustices. Since 1973, Haymarket's stated mission is to build social justice for all people and achieve a more equitable world. As a social justice foundation, we have no choice but to tackle racism as the root cause of injustice in our nation’s history. In 1999, Haymarket began the hard work of transforming itself into an antiracist organization, and shifted its grant-making, fundraising and capacity building to reflect antiracist values. This process required a commitment to examining internalized superiority on the part of white staff and internalized inferiority on the part of people of color. This step was essential in sustaining people of color leadership. It required leadership from people who were grounded in antiracist principles.

Even though the number people of color across groups in New England are growing, the region remains a white majority. Haymarket's focus on racial equity in this climate has met intense resistance among white activists who believe that racism “isn’t an issue” in Vermont, Maine, or New Hampshire. In Boston, many whites think they have already dealt with it.

Anti-racist principles in action

Healing from racism occurs through restoring humanity and creating real relationships. Racism, particularly when enacted through institutional policies and systems, de-humanizes; its essential mode of operating is to devalue one group of people and overvalue another. In this dynamic, both people of color and whites lose their humanity – people of color lose it from being viewed as “less than,” and whites lose it from assuming a falsely superior position while denying that racism exists. On both sides of the dynamic, there is a cost to our humanity and to our ability to work together in an authentic, mutually respectful ways. People are not seen for who they really are. The first step in this healing process is to recognize racism as a social disease and the pain, trauma and injustice it has caused throughout US history. Haymarket's approach to racial healing is to develop a tool which allows people of color and whites to grapple with the pain of racism and internalized oppression. Applying these principles of antiracism is essential to effective community organizing and radical social change and will continue to set social justice philanthropy apart.