Through organizing, Black Americans have repeatedly joined together in vulnerable times. From the Black Panther Party to the Civil Rights Movement, a variety of groups and movements have battled to remind the country that they, too, are Americans. It takes a lot of devoted, hardworking individuals to build anything exceptional, and this is especially true when it comes to achieving long-term change. Racial justice, fairness, and opportunity will never be accomplished by a single leader or group. To effect change, a diverse range of individuals and groups working at all levels, from the local to the national, will be required. This article will discuss 5 Black American NGOs that are doing whatever they can to make a significant difference in the community.
Black Girls Code
Black Girls CODE is dedicated to demonstrating to the world that Black girls can code, among other things. They are paving the road for young women of color to enter the contemporary tech sector as builders and creators by teaching them computer programming and technological skills. By reaching out to the community through workshops and after-school programs, Black Girls CODE educates young girls from marginalized groups to computer coding classes in programming languages such as Scratch or Ruby on Rails. Black Girls CODE’s mission is to demonstrate to the world that girls of all races have the potential to become tomorrow’s programmers.
Figure 1 -Black Girls Code event. Source – Google
National Black Justice Coalition
Since 2003, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) has worked to empower Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and same gender loving (LGBTQ/SGL) individuals, especially people living with HIV/AIDS, via coalition building, federal policy reform, research, and education. As America’s largest national Black LGBTQ/SGL civil rights group, the NBJC has embraced the task of leading Black families in fortifying connections and bridging gaps between movements for racial justice, LGBTQ/SGL equality, the abolition of racism, and the abolition of homophobia. They foresee a future in which all people, regardless of color, class, gender identity, or sexual orientation, are fully enabled to engage in family, church, and community in a safe, open, and honest manner.
Figure 2 -Logo of National Black Justice Coalition. Source – Google
Black Organizing For Leadership and Dignity
BOLD (Black Organizing for Leadership and Dignity) is a nationwide training intermediary dedicated to improving the practice of Black organizers in the United States to enhance their alignment, effect, and sustainability to achieve progressive change. BOLD’s work seeks to help develop a dynamic network of Black organizers who, in the face of uncertain and changing situations, assume brave and consistent responsibility for attaining a common vision of freedom.
BOLD’s purpose is carried out through training programs, mentoring, and technical support provided to BOLD graduates and partners. Grounded in Black love and dedication to Black mastery and wholeness, the organization will model compelling revolutionary leadership and, most importantly, empower other leaders and the wide mass base to win.
Figure 3 -Logo of Black Organizing For Leadership and Dignity. Source – Google
Color of Change
Color of Change is a civil rights advocacy group that is not for profit. They promote civil justice by advocating for progressive ideas and policies. Color of Change leads campaigns that give Black communities actual power. They confront injustice, hold corporate and political leaders responsible, commission game-changing research on systems of inequality, and push racial justice solutions that have the potential to alter our society. As a national online force with 7 million members, they influence decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more humane and less hostile world for Black people in America by developing strategies powerful enough to end discrimination and unfairness social and political life, the worksite and the financial system, criminal justice and community life, and wherever they exist—they are changing the world.
Figure 4 -Color of Change event. Source – Google
Urban Creators
Through agriculture, transformational education, and art, Urban Creators promotes community development and combats food insecurity. Life Do Grow, a local creative commons in North Central Philadelphia, serves as their home base. An urban farm, a public park, outdoor schools, communal spaces, and a co-creation place for numerous small companies are all part of the site. Since 2012, they have given 136 local kids employment and other opportunities, and they continue to mentor the next generation of environmental leaders and creatives. Honoring culture & legacy, imagining new futures, racial & economic justice, balance & emergence, interconnection & relationships, The Earth, freedom of expression, holistic wellness, and collaborative leadership are fundamental principles of the Urban Creators.
Figure 5 -Logo of Urban Creators. Source – Google
Anand Subramanian is a freelance photographer and content writer based out of Tamil Nadu, India. Having a background in Engineering always made him curious about life on the other side of the spectrum. He leapt forward towards the Photography life and never looked back. Specializing in Documentary and Portrait photography gave him an up-close and personal view into the complexities of human beings and those experiences helped him branch out from visual to words. Today he is mentoring passionate photographers and writing about the different dimensions of the art world.
