I’m not going to sugarcoat it: the past couple years have been tough. From uncertainty about the future of our nation, to ongoing wars and violence globally, to Supreme Court decisions that roll back decades of work on racial equity and reproductive rights — it’s easy to become cynical and fatigued.
The truth is that anything intended to make this a better place for everyone is hard. Anything that challenges the shortcomings and inequalities of the status quo will face resistance. And so, for any change or progress to occur, it will take resolve.
We’ve seen this kind of resolve before.
We see it in our community as grassroots organizers push for policy change, in youth-led movements for social justice, and in the steadfast support and philanthropy of our donors, all pushing us toward a better Bay Area. We see it in our work to maintain our commitment to long-term goals despite challenges or shifting political climates, and we see it in the leadership of our Board of Trustees as they hold us accountable to our North Star of advancing racial equity and economic inclusion, while upholding our core work of promoting philanthropy in the Bay Area.
This resolve is what’s necessary to keep us moving forward in the face of attacks on DEI and affirmative action, of an economy that devalues arts and caretaking, of a housing shortage that keeps too many of our neighbors sleeping on the streets.
It’s on all of us. Together.
When we come together across our different viewpoints, experiences, and passions — as donors, service providers, investors, advocates, staff, and members of the Bay Area community — we can make real change in our region and be a model for the country and the world.
Fred Blackwell
Chief Executive Officer
San Francisco Foundation
PS: In uncertain times, I often find myself returning to these powerful words from Howard Thurman (a fellow Morehouse College alum):
Keep fresh before me the moments of my High Resolve, that in fair weather or in foul, in good times or in tempests, in the days when the darkness and the foe are nameless or familiar, I may not forget that to which my life is committed.
From For The Inward Journey by Howard Thurman
