SOCIAL JUSTICE BLOG
Read and share extraordinary stories from the frontlines of social change
How to Beat a Bully: Ten Timely Lessons of Perseverance and Triumph After 10 Million Dollars Granted
Who better to listen to now, to turn to for inspiration and guidance, than the very people who have taken on powerful interests to fight for their freedoms — and actually figured out a way to beat the bully?
Below are ten key lessons I’ve picked up from our brave and strategic grantees over the years. I hope you find these lessons helpful, whether you are organizing to challenge an injustice close to home, are involved in impact litigation yourself, or are simply in need of some inspiration in these trying times.
Nako Takes The Reins
When I started working at the Impact Fund in 2015, I was in transition in my own life. I had a 10-month-old baby and wasn’t sure if the legal profession was still for me. In truth, it wasn’t. As originally conceived, this profession was not intended for a first-generation lawyer, woman of color, new mother, building a family while tamping out a path toward a fulfilling livelihood and a more just future. But again, Jocelyn Larkin and the Impact Fund community were there. With the mentorship of Jocelyn and others, I found a sustainable model of advocacy and training, secure in the knowledge that the hours I worked were helping others while also making me a better lawyer.
Succession - Impact Fund Style: Thoughtful and Joyous!
Under Jocelyn’s leadership, Lindsay has grown into the Executive Director role before our very eyes. Having had the privilege of being a small part of the succession planning arc for the organization, I know that Jocelyn has complete confidence that Lindsay is the right person to step into the Executive Director position. Lindsay’s colleagues and the Board unanimously agree. None of us take for granted the rich resources and infrastructure that Jocelyn, Lindsay, Teddy, Amy, Erin, and the whole organization have so carefully cultivated over the years. They will serve the organization so well in this next chapter.
It’s Not the Numbers, It’s the People
As I prepare to turn over the reins of the Impact Fund to Lindsay, I cannot help but reflect on some of the turning points in the organization’s history and some important people who have made the organization what it is. I write to highlight just a few of those moments and individuals, although I feel that I could fill a book with stories of the many talented people who are or have been part of our Impact Fund family over the past 30 years.