Executive Director, Natanja Craig Oquendo, Recognized Among the 150 Most Influential Bostonians!

Boston Magazine has named Boston Women's Fund Executive Director, Natanja Craig Oquendo, one of the 150 MOST INFLUENTIAL BOSTONIANS for her work supporting Boston’s grassroots leaders! Natanja is honored among other incredible women like U.S. Rep, Ayanna Pressley, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Rachael Rollins.

Find the magazine on newsstands today or check out the digital article.

Sending congratulations to these phenomenal leaders also honored by Boston Magazine:

Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, CEO, Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción

Denella Clark, President and CEO, Boston Arts Academy Foundation

Sheena Collier, Founder and CEO, Boston While Black

Lydia Edwards, MA State Senator

Aisha Francis, President and CEO, Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology

Betty Francisco, CEO, Boston Impact Initiative

Jackie Jenkins-Scott, Interim President, Roxbury Community College

Nicole Obi, President and CEO, Black Economic Council of Massachusetts

Oompa, Recording Artist

Colette Phillips, CEO, Colette Phillips Communications

Watch Natanja Craig Oquendo on GBH TV Show Basic Black

During Black History month, BWF Executive Director Natanja Craig Oquendo was a featured panelist on GBH's historic TV show "Basic Black"!

Celebrating its 55th season, “Basic Black” was created in 1968 and is the longest-running program on public TV focusing on the interests of people of color.

Together, the panel discussed the impact of more BIPOC-led foundations on philanthropy at large and how New England philanthropy is transforming in communities of color.

If you missed the live broadcast, you can still catch the full episode online.

Watch the Full Episode Here

We Are Still Processing: In Memory of Tyre Nichols

Like many of you, we at the Boston Women’s Fund are traumatized, hurt, and frustrated by the police brutality that took Tyre Nichols’ life. It seems another violent tragedy takes place before we have had time to fully process the harm of the tragedy before. As we weed through the layers of hurt, to be truthful, our team is experiencing response fatigue. How many more messages like this will we write in 2023 alone? What will it take for us to see lasting change that dismantles systemic racism within our nation?

Today, we were able to hold space as a community and gathered virtually to share, grieve, and just be. We shared stories. We shared feelings of devastation, anger, numbness, and fear. We reminded each other that there is no “right” way to feel. Trauma tends to stay in our bodies, so we reminded each other to move when we could. We’ll extend these reminders to you, as well. Take a walk. Stand and stretch. Shake out your limbs. Pause. Be with others if you feel drawn to healing in community.

With the heaviness of Tyre’s murder, and all of the videos and news circulating, we want to make sure people are taking care of themselves. Here are a few resources that we have found helpful:

• This 6-minute video with tips for processing Tyre Nichols' murder, by Dr. Thema Bryant, President of the American Psychological Association
  

• This article by Jeneé Osterheldt, giving voice to the pain many are feeling and offering greater context to the tragedy.

Boston Women’s Fund will continue to support Black and Brown leaders working on the ground for racial justice. If you need anything from us, if we can support you in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

In Solidarity,

-Natanja Craig Oquendo

Executive Director

Boston Women's Fund