SOCIAL JUSTICE BLOG

Read and share extraordinary stories from the frontlines of social change

Succession - Impact Fund Style: Thoughtful and Joyous!
Impact Fund, Leadership Succession Teddy Basham-Witherington Impact Fund, Leadership Succession Teddy Basham-Witherington

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.

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It’s Not the Numbers, It’s the People
Impact Fund, Succession Planning Teddy Basham-Witherington Impact Fund, Succession Planning Teddy Basham-Witherington

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.

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Systems Not Symptoms - Impact Fund Grant Program Tackles Racial Injustice Head On
Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter, Structural Racism Teddy Basham-Witherington Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter, Structural Racism Teddy Basham-Witherington

Systems Not Symptoms - Impact Fund Grant Program Tackles Racial Injustice Head On

“While we are a small funder, we are in complete solidarity with the movement to end the killing of unarmed Black men by police, as well as all other police brutality. That the list of names of men who have been so killed is so long that it would take up more than a whole page is a commentary on how police have been protected from accountability, at least until now. They have been protected by police unions who block the imposition of discipline. They have been protected by politicians who want to be seen as ‘tough on crime’ and pass laws that make it next to impossible for the public to find out which officers are engaging in brutality against people. And they are protected by the courts that make up rules like ‘qualified immunity’ that let police off the hook when brought to court. We recognize that the police function as part of the system that has been called the criminal justice system, they are but one part. That whole system is what gave us mass incarceration. And the whole system now must come down.”

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Civil Rights, Class Actions, H.R. 985 Teddy Basham-Witherington Civil Rights, Class Actions, H.R. 985 Teddy Basham-Witherington

Think Your Rights Are Safe? Think Again...

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a million dollars (or even one-tenth that) to devote to suing anybody. Right now there is no line item in my family’s budget for “lawsuits.” So basically, in a no-class-action future scenario, if I get screwed over by a company or the government, there will be absolutely nothing I can do about it. This would be a huge win for anyone itching to start their own Ponzi scheme, but a terrifying disaster for the rest of us.

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