The 2022 Upwell Summit held virtually on November 15 focused on self and community care, what the political landscape means for our communities, opportunities and challenges around creating a healthy and just nation, and a look ahead to 2023. Here are some highlights:

Investing in Justice for the Deep South

• “Everyone at some point needs financial tools to climb the economic ladder. Unfortunately, it is not equitably available particularly in Black, Brown and rural communities in the Deep South.” – Bill Bynum, Recipient of the 2022 John W. Gardner Leadership Award (see also Bill Bynum, President and CEO, HOPE: Expanding access for unbanked and underbanked communities)
• “We’re going to make capital fun. It’s key to the justice we want.” – Lisa Mensah

Power and Philanthropy: Co-Creating Equity

• Great resources from Alice Hom and Northern California Grantmakers’ Racial Equity Action Institute available here (see also the slide on the REAI Curricular Arc)
• 4 Levels of Equity: individual, institutional, interpersonal, structural/systemic. – AH (see also The Lens of System Oppression from the National Equity Project, discussing these 4 levels).
• Charities – How might you invite grantmakers to experiences to help lead them to be more community-centered? – Marcus Walton

Forget the Lens. Pick up the Mirror

• “How do we find #belonging for those who we don’t like and those who don’t look like us?” – Shawn Ginwright
• The wrong first question: “What do I need to do?” The right first question: “Who do I need to become? – SG (see also Excerpts from The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves)
• “To engage in rest and recreation is an important feature in our own freedom and liberation.” – SG
• “To be seen, to be recognized, as existing as worthy and valuable. I think we often come to places looking for these things, but we haven’t figured it out.” – Raquel Willis
• Black vulnerability is an essential element to leadership. – RW (see also Our Task Is to Figure Out How to Sustain This Momentum)
• What do we need in our movements? We’re good at accountability. We’re not good enough at grace. Not just with respect to others, but with respect to ourselves. – SG
• Exhibiting grace with those who disagree with us. Getting beyond “I’m right, you’re wrong.” Can still listen and see each other as human beings (otherwise, “you’re wrong” can turn into something that dehumanizes the other person). – SG
• Recognize that you don’t know everything about who you disagree with. – RW

Making Sense of the Midterms: Laying a Roadmap for 2024

• “Tens of thousands of ppl worked tirelessly, almost from the end of the last election to this one, to ensure that this process went smoothly. We should never take that for granted.”- Daniel Weiner
• “What is the #democracy problem? A precondition that people in the political #community have to accept that they are part of the same political community.” – Larry Kramer
• Problem: the belief by supporters of either political party that a win by their political party is all that’s needed. That’s wrong. We need to strengthen our institutions and systems and build public trust. And it’s not just laws; political culture needs to change. – LK, DW
• “You have to feed democracy so it keeps thriving.” – Clarissa Martínez De Castro (see also Midterm Election Results Highlight Importance of Engaging the Growing Hispanic Electorate)

Upswell 2023 will be in-person in Dallas-Fort Worth November 15-17. See you there!

Additional Resource

2022 Upswell Summit: Strengthening Our Force for Good (Independent Sector)