CELEBRATING 2018 AND WELCOMING 2019
“BOLD aligned my personal vision of myself with my professional self. I was eager to learn because I wanted to be a better leader and servant to Black people. The language and ideology gave me new understanding. It fed my desire and built my will for transformation.”
Greetings BOLD Fam!
When we read the above quote in our recent BOLD alumni survey, we were humbled to learn how our work is received by you. We are moved to hear the ways that you see BOLD as such a trusted partner and fuel for your powerful work in the fight for Black Liberation. BOLD Alumni: We see you. We are inspired by the ways you are showing up in this work in such a critical time for our people – and our country. Modeling excellence. Generating hope. Experimenting courageously with new organizing models. Finding new formations. Staying in practice. Being river, rock, mirror and salve for one another in a season of trauma, oppression, rage and grief. You are rising and we are so proud to journey with you.
When our co-founders first envisioned BOLD’s trajectory and future, we knew that our programs would be constantly growing and changing based on the needs of the organizers who go through them. Last year alone has seen us grow tremendously. Here’s just a sampling of the new work we initiated in 2018:
- Planned and led BOLD’s first trainers retreat, where we generated new theory and practices collectively and charted BOLD’s trainer development in service of deepening our training capacity and support for movement building.
- Launched an ongoing monthly Political Education webinar series for BOLD’s training team, held by Sendolo Diaminah and Mark Antony Johnson.
- Conducted a leadership exchange with 6 organizations in Haiti as part of BOLD’s pilot international leadership program, which exposes our leaders to other organizations whose work is rooted in the impacts of US policies.
- Secured funding to strengthen the organizing infrastructure and leadership for Black organizers in Los Angeles via an integrated training program, which opens the opportunity for groups to build collective power to expand the learning, the demands and framing of Black organizing work.
- Worked with Lalaboy LLC’s Communications Team to rebrand BOLD, update our website and funding materials – and to launch this newsletter!
Last but certainly not least, this year we initiated the process of transitioning BOLD to its own independent 501c3 status. As part of this process, we convened BOLD’s new Board of Directors, which includes BOLD co-founders, BOLD alumni and trusted funder-allies.
Together, we have made significant strides in strengthening Black organizing and movement infrastructure and we look forward to a powerful and productive 2019 sustaining and growing this work.
Hearing from you, we know how difficult it can be to sustain engagement and motivation along this transformative organizing path. BOLD is committed to being a space to support your journey into Black Mastery long after each of your trainings has ended. In the alumni survey, you made it known that you want to hear more from BOLD and to hear from us more regularly. This newsletter, the first of many that we will deliver quarterly, is the first step in those efforts.
We know that if we are going to meet your needs and the needs of our broader community, we need to actively listen. As you know, there is power in that simple act. This is why we are opening the year with the launch of this quarterly newsletter. In the meantime, keep speaking your truth. We are here to listen and amplify your voice.
Black Love,
-Denise Perry and the BOLD team
P.S. If you or someone you know is looking to develop critical skills in community organizing, including strategies to leverage power, check out our programs here and apply. If you have additional questions or just want to say hello, send us an email at info@boldorganizing.org.