Official Statement on Federal Appeals Court Suspension of Fearless Fund's Grant for Black Entrepreneurs

The Boston Women’s Fund is disgusted by the Federal Court’s suspension of the Fearless Fund’s program funding Black women entrepreneurs. This is the latest in a series of stunts propelled by conservative groups determined to roll back years of diversity gains and disenfranchise Black women and their communities. 

The lawsuit leading to this suspension was brought by a group called the American Alliance for Equal Rights, claiming that the program’s focus on Black women contradicts the 1866 Civil Rights Act, which forbids race-based discrimination when making contracts. 

But ironically, the sole reason organizations like Fearless Fund exist is because even 159 years after the abolition of slavery, and 56 years after Jim Crow, there’s nothing equal about Black women’s lack of access to capital in the United States. For every dollar earned by white men, Black women make just 63.7 cents. In the philanthropic sector, organizations supporting Black women and girls receive a mere .5% of all charitable giving in the U.S. Is this what equal rights for all looks like? We at the Boston Women’s Fund think that America can do better and Black women deserve more.

These figures came to be while initiatives like Affirmative Action, and Diversity Equity and Inclusion programs were in play. Since Affirmative Action’s repeal, other private companies and institutions have watered down their diversity programs, fearing legal repercussions. What will the numbers look like when those who fear an empowered future for people of color have systematically attacked every attempt to level the playing field? 

The Boston Women’s Fund stands strong in our tireless support for Black women. We’re forever invested in the health of communities of color, and fund ideas penned by the leaders they’ve built. Our one-of-a-kind leadership development program helps women of color advance their professional journeys and navigate the challenges of white supremacy in the workplace. We honor the leadership of Black girls in our youth initiative, offering a supportive space for young people to share their challenges and take action toward justice in their communities. BWF will never stop fighting for a world where equal access truly exists for the persistently marginalized. With our partners, board, donors, and funders we will not waver. We will speak louder and be bolder in our collective goals. We will join local and national organizing efforts. We will. Until we all are liberated. I hope you will continue to show up, support, and walk with us on this journey to freedom.

In Solidarity,

-Natanja Craig Oquendo

BWF Beginnings: A Look Back at the Young Sisters for Justice Program with Amanda Matos-Gonzalez

In 1996, The Boston Women’s Fund (BWF) launched a youth initiative that honored the power in young people’s hands in a way no other fund in Boston had before. It was one in only a handful of similar programs across the country, and we called it Young Sisters For Justice. 

Young Sisters For Justice welcomed about 10 girls, aged 14-21, to join a diverse, two-year cohort that met year-round to learn about social justice and philanthropy. But here’s where the program differed from most — the young people joined BWF’s Allocations Committee, working among adults to allocate thousands of grantmaking dollars to grassroots organizations in Greater Boston.

As a 16-year-old, Amanda Matos-Gonzalez (she/her) was a part of the very first cohort running from 1996-1998. Today, she’s Boston Women’s Fund's Board Treasurer. We spoke with Amanda to learn more about her experience, what it was like to have a youth seat at the grantmaking table, and the invaluable lasting impact of feeling genuinely seen and heard as a young person.

Boston Women’s Fund: What inspired you to join Young Sisters For Justice?

Amanda Matos-Gonzalez: The coordinator at that time, Antonieta Gimeno may have been the one who reached out. My mom ran in activist circles as I was growing up here in the Boston area, and Antonieta was very much a part of those circles and well-known by progressive activists. She was very active in the Puerto Rican community. (Antonieta’s not Puerto Rican, but she hung out with and was always around Puerto Rican folks, and her children are part Puerto Rican.) 

This was a new program. She wanted it to be a very diverse cohort of young women, and BWF wanted it to be very much centered on social justice. They had a pretty thorough process where they reached out to young women ages 14 to 21. Antonieta contacted me during that, and I applied.

What were the other girls like in your cohort? Do you remember anything about them?

It was a really formative experience in my life. I remember all of them. It was one of those unusual things where we instantly clicked, and we all were friends. Right away, we were hanging out. We became a really tight group of young women. I am still in close contact with Jennifer Dowdell-Rosario, who is one of my oldest friends now. She's the Development Director at Haymarket People’s Fund. She actually began her journey in what we were calling at that time, progressive philanthropy, at Boston Women's Fund, and is still working in that today. 

So folks from the program are still around and still in contact. 

Had you known anything about philanthropy before joining?

No, I knew nothing about philanthropy. But I was familiar with concepts of social justice, activism and community organizing because it was very much a part of my household and something that I grew up around. 

I think throughout the group, knowledge about philanthropy was varied, which was very intentional. Part of the model was that we would represent all kinds of backgrounds and that there would be differences in our learning around social justice so that we could all grow together, which was an amazing experience. 

We all brought something different to the conversations around philanthropy, but it was very much centered in feminism, social justice, and eliminating injustice, and us learning about the “isms,” homophobia and LGBTQ rights, systemic oppression, how these things impacted us in our communities, and how we could bring that lens to philanthropy. 

So even though I had somewhat of a background in social justice topics, the idea of bringing that understanding to philanthropy was new to all of us. 

Walk me through the kinds of activities you did in the program.

From the beginning, it was very much intended to become youth-led. It started with facilitated trainings, and for about the first year, it was adult-led. Antonieta, our coordinator, was a trainer in anti-racism and anti-sexism, etc., and was experienced in talking about oppression. 

So she would facilitate sessions and also bring in other guest facilitators as we learned about women's history as well as the “isms” I've mentioned. We would do different activities, sometimes incorporating art, and we did quite a bit of reading, as well. It was intense at times. After school a couple of days a week, we would be there for about 2 hours. 

A lot of it was really fun because were a dynamic group, and like I told you, there was a lot of synergy, even in personalities — which, I later worked in youth development for 10 years and I know now that it’s kind of a gift to have this first group of young women where a lot of their skills and attributes, even if they were different, were complementary. 

So we were very engaged from the jump, and Antonieta was also like us, a ball of fire, of energy, even though she was, of course, much older than we were. I stay in contact with her, too. Even though she was much older, she was so youthful and asked questions like, “how can we bring music and theater into this lesson?” She was very open to hearing our suggestions and making it so that didn’t feel like were in school after school. 

But it was quite a time commitment for us because were essentially training to become full members of the allocations committee, and then we were on the allocations committee. 

So you were sitting alongside the adults in BWF’s Allocations Committee for BWF’s full grantmaking roster?

Yes, and it was robust grantmaking. We used to get thick, 30-page packets to read per cycle, and I think there were a couple of grantmaking cycles per year. We were literally doing what the older folks were doing on the allocations committee. 

Oh wow, that’s a lot.

It is a lot. And there were some bumps, for sure. I think whenever you bring in a group of young people into an already established group of adults who are professionals, they could really respect the fact that young people are at the table, but that doesn't mean that they know how to engage with them. So there were some challenges with that, too. And I think in part, that's why having a longer process of two years and the intentionality, flexibility, and adaptability around that was important. There was a lot of adaptation that had to be done along the way. 

We were also well aware that we were one of a handful of youth programs like that in the whole country. There was maybe a handful of young women’s philanthropy groups, one group in Chicago had a similar model to us where the young people were sitting with the adults. Nothing can replace learning as a young person to be at a table with older folks in that way. 

"That's why, in part, this program was such a formative experience for me. I had a voice. Even if there were moments where the adults may have pushed back on our voice, we still had one at that table. And so I think we learned a lot from that, for sure." 

What did it mean to you to have that kind of agency and trust at that age?

I think the sense of power we felt as young women was tremendous. Especially given my school environment — I really didn't enjoy school. I went to Boston Latin School — it's a rigorous exam school. It's considered an elite school, and I was there at an interesting time when affirmative action at the school was eliminated via a court case. I did not feel valued in the school environment. I did not feel smart. And so for me, being at Boston Women's Fund affirmed my intelligence, my ability to analyze, and also my feeling that I was really impacting folks. That makes you feel tremendously good about yourself when you realize, “Oh, I really helped this group of women.” 

We still have amazing women's organizations today — But this was the nineties, and because there was so much going on in the country, in the world, people were really pushing hard against all the systemic oppression or injustice. And so there was a surge of women’s organizations. 

I really felt like I was part of something, a part of a movement. It became my norm. But now when I look back on it, I think, wow, that was amazing that I had that opportunity, and that I was able to stick it through. Because you're right, a two-year commitment for a young person is a long time. But I wanted to be there! It made me feel really good about myself. It gave me tremendous confidence. 

When you think about it now, what stands out to you about your experience in Young Sisters For Justice?

Oh man, I just think it was so unique, the timing of it and the folks that were there. To me, the work was tremendously important, but it was really the relationships and what I gained from engaging with everyone, be it the adults or the other young people, that really impacted me. The work was the cherry on top of me being in this space with all of these powerful women who were affirming their own identities and also giving us permission to do the same thing. And as you well know, there are not that many places for people, in general, to be able to feel that way — much less women, gender-expansive folks, young people, etc. (We could keep going down the line.) So that that space even existed to me was amazing, and that I was able to be part of it for such a long period of time was great. 

And then we sort of passed the torch, so to speak. And there were other groups, maybe three or four cohorts after us, and it felt great it was able to continue for so long. I'm still very proud of what we started. 

Can you see any thread between the work you did in this program as a young person and either the professional or activist work you’d go on to do as an adult?

Young Sisters had a huge influence on me. It very much informed my work in youth development. I ran youth programs for years, mostly at the Boston Public Health Commission, and those were structured much more around academics. The influence of being at Young Sisters for Justice helped me encourage folks to have the spaces be more youth-led, which can be very challenging for us as adults.

I helped coach program managers and other folks working with the youth to include their voices more so it wasn't as top-down, particularly because young people often don't have spaces like that. I think that really contributed to the success of quite a few of the programs. 

In my own personal work and engaging with community organizing at different levels (not as much now but throughout the years), I was definitely heavily influenced by my household because, like I told you, social justice work was part of my household, but also as well from Young Sisters For Justice. And I know that I function with a specific justice lens, to be quite honest. 

Today, I'm a senior director of a group of assessment managers who evaluate a network of community development responsible for creating affordable housing all across the country. Quite often, I am one of the voices in a space that says, “But wait are we really hearing what the issues are in the community, and why is it hard for organizations to meet those issues of the community?” That perspective very much comes from that Young Sisters foundation.  

It's very important that we're not just assessment managers going in and picking these organizations apart — These organizations serve communities in real need. I take that role very seriously. 

Is there anything else you'd like to share about the significance this program held?

"I think the big lesson learned is that We have a tendency to think about youth as vessels that we pour information into, and that's not assets-based. They already come with so many strengths, and we should be as open to learning from them as they are from us and creating spaces where they can really take the reins in a lot of ways." 

Anytime we can do that and get them in decision-making seats of any kind, I really support that. I think that's true to the original concept of Young Sisters for Justice, and I think that’s the justice piece that goes beyond philanthropy. The justice piece should not be understated. It's really important, especially in these times. 

Today, Boston Women's Fund youth initiative is called GROWUP LeadHership. It's facilitated by Jamila Gales and is affiliated with The National Philanthropic Collaborative of Young Women’s Initiatives. Learn more about NPCYWI here.

Meet Our Grantee Partner - Asian American Women's Political Initiative!

Asian American Women’s Political Initiative (AAWPI) is the country’s only political leadership organization for Asian American and Pacific Islander women. They work to ensure Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women have a voice in our democracy and have built an infrastructure to support low-income and immigrant AAPI women in Massachusetts interested in getting involved in government and politics.

We connected with AAWPI’s Chief Operating Officer, Darlene Vu (she/her), to learn about how AAWPI is boosting access to the political sphere for AAPI women and their plans to expand and engage 250,000 AAPI individuals nationwide by 2030!

Boston Women's Fund: What led you to take a leadership role with AAWPI? Can you tell us more about your connection to the work and the specific need you saw?

Darlene Vu: I returned to AAWPI in 2021 as a Chief Operating Officer after previously graduating from AAWPI’s Massachusetts State House Fellowship program in 2015. I was motivated to come back at the height of the pandemic, when there was an increase in hate and violence towards AAPI communities, as we tragically witnessed with the murder of six Asian women during the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings.  

I knew that AAWPI could help counter harmful, xenophobic narratives by building AAPI political power and creating safe spaces for AAPI women to find their voices and push for real, transformative change as leaders, organizers, and voters. To help push this critical work forward, I co-led AAWPI’s national expansion to Georgia, Pennsylvania, and additional critical states where AAPIs are the fastest-growing population and where our voices matter.

Born and raised in East Boston public housing by my single, immigrant father, I understand the importance of inclusive democracies and access to opportunity. AAWPI was the first organization to encourage me to take up space, see my lived experience as a superpower, and believe in myself as a leader. I am committed to supporting the next generation of AAPI women and gender-nonconforming changemakers in finding their voice and unlocking their leadership potential through AAWPI’s National Civic Impact Fellowship and Incubator Program.

Much like AAWPI, I am committed to building a multiracial democracy. Most recently, I was named a 40 Under 40 rising star by the National Association of Asian Pacifics in Politics and Public Affairs (NAAPPPA) for changing the face of politics and political leadership and excelling in a space where we are often invisible.

Can you share more about how AAWPI’s work is improving or expanding access for women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals in the communities you serve? 

AAWPI is creating what hasn’t existed: a first-of-its-kind national political pipeline to activate, mobilize, and elevate AAPI women. 

Our National Civic Impact Fellowship and Incubator Program (501c/3) is a six-month program that funds civic impact projects (at $10,000) led by low-income and immigrant AAPI women and gender-expansive individuals aimed to mobilize and create social change for our communities. 

We surround the fellows with political leadership training, progress check-ins, individualized coaching, and grassroots actions with our state partners: Chinese Progressive Association (Massachusetts), Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta (Georgia), and AAPI PA Power Caucus (Pennsylvania). In the last two years, we have engaged and activated over 25,000 AAPIs and AAPI women in Georgia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania through grassroots actions, voter registration, and fellows’ civic impact projects.

The civic impact projects build a self-sustaining pipeline and community, elevating AAPI women’s civic engagement — from voting to community organizing to running for office — towards more proportional elected representation and more equitable policy outcomes. 

What’s one thing people might not know about your organization?

Our over 100 AAWPI alumni represent diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and cultures. They are DREAMers, anti-foreclosure activists who have experienced foreclosure themselves, LGBTQ+ rights advocates, artists, and nonprofit entrepreneurs who have all found their political voice through AAWPI. Over 90% of our alumni have gone on to work on campaigns, become community organizers, or run for political office. 

What’s next for you? What project or goal is AAWPI working on right now?

I am co-leading efforts to expand AAWPI’s work to ten critical states where AAPIs are the fastest-growing population and where our votes can be the difference. AAWPI plans to mobilize 250,000 AAPIs and AAPI women across the country to join us in making our voices heard through civic engagement and voter activation by 2030. Our goal is to create an ecosystem of energized AAPI voters, organizers, and candidates in high-potential, targeted states in order to change the severe lack of representation of AAPI women in elected office and shift the face of political power. 

What does liberation look like to you? 

When I envision liberation, it looks like a multiracial democracy, one that is inclusive of women and women-identifying, AAPI, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ folks. It is a world that is free of white supremacist and misogynistic ideologies that seek to harm our communities, replaced by one fueled by radical love, joy, and belonging.