2022 Black Well-being Final w links for Web 11.29.22 - Flipbook - Page 6
BLACK WELL-BEING REPORT 2022
Introduction
This report is a love note to Black Washingtonians, written
for us and by us, to accelerate change. In each section, we
offer approaches identified by Black Washingtonians —
actions that we and our society can take to make necessary
change across sectors.
In 2015, Byrd Barr Place, in collaboration with the Washington Commission on African
American Affairs and the African American Leadership Forum-Seattle, and working in
partnership with Angela Powell and the Washington State Budget & Policy Center, published
“Creating an Equitable Future in Washington State: Black Well-being & Beyond.” This was
the first in a series of reports to assess barriers to economic security and educational
opportunity, and to equity in the criminal justice system, health, and civic engagement for
Black Washingtonians.
The 2015 report and its data have been valuable tools in promoting public dialogue on race
and the obstacles Black Washingtonians face, as well as to supporting community-driven
public policy solutions.
Since then the landscape has shifted. Ongoing local and national protests — precipitated
by the continued killing of unarmed Black people — have brought the Black Lives Matter
movement and message to public consciousness. The compounding crises of the COVID-19
pandemic, increasing climate disasters, the worst economic recession since the Great
Depression, generations of deeply embedded white-supremist policies, and free-flowing racist
rhetoric have accelerated the urgency for structural change. And, as has always happened, we
have found ways to thrive in spite of it all.
Washington state now has its first Black-led philanthropy, the Black Future Co-op Fund,
working to connect Black communities for collective power, promote a truthful Black narrative,
and invest in Black generational prosperity, health, and well-being. Given our mission and
statewide focus, the Fund seemed a natural partner and convener for this study.
With this 2022 Black Well-Being study, we wanted to flip the frame and focus on the
structural barriers behind the adverse and unequal outcomes that Black Washingtonians
experience. It’s long overdue that there’s an accounting of the systems creating these issues.
Framed in this way, the report aims to:
• Support collective organizing among Black people and communities
across the state.
• Direct resources to invest strategically in Black prosperity, health,
and well-being.
• Inform policy change to fix structural injustices and advance equitable
opportunity for Black Washingtonians.
We invite you to spend time with family and your community exploring the report.
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BLACK FUTURE CO-OP FUND