On Friday, May 27, the staff at Faith in Texas sent a message to constituents and social media followers: they were taking a week off for a sabbatical. Just to breathe after weeks of working overtime during the pandemic, during which their main mission had been helping those incarcerated to be released to social distance safely at home. But once evening fell, staffers began getting alerts that protests were starting in Dallas. “We were already planning to show up just as individuals because it’s important to note that a majority of us are Black,” says Akilah Wallace, executive director of Faith in Texas, a nonpartisan, multi-racial, and multi-faith grassroots movement based in Dallas. Their involvement as a group, however, was imminent. When protesters began getting arrested, a tweet went out asking if anyone knew of a local bail fund. As fate would have it, Faith in Texas had just done a soft launch for the web page of its Luke 4:18 Bail Fund, a new component of their prison reform work. A reply to the tweet went out that linked directly to the Faith in Texas fund. “That call to action set off a firestorm. By Saturday morning, I had to call a meeting as soon as I woke up with my communication and organizing directors, both Black people. We said, ‘Oh, this is something else.’ People had been making donations—ranging from $5 to $1,000—all through the night,” recalls Wallace, Young Black & Giving Back Institute’s 2019 Philanthropist of the Year. “The community was calling us to another level of responsibility to bail out those who were being arrested during Dallas protests. We had to answer that call.” … The Faith in Texas staff still hasn’t taken that sabbatical, though they have gotten some scattered breaks here and there. The massive scaling of their organization and increase in donation attention has opened up opportunities to hire more staff members, as well as organizers who can help spread their work to Collin and Tarrant County. “We want to be able to hire those who have been volunteering,” Wallace adds. “And provided a livable wage and benefits, especially during a pandemic.”   Excerpted from Paper City Magazine. Read the full article here.

August doesn’t really celebrate many holidays – here in Texas, it’s mostly known for tax-free weekend and back to school. However, the entire month of August is all about being charitable. Why? Because August is Black Philanthropy Month! Thanks to The Dallas Morning News and FWD DFW, we were able to speak with 2019’s Philanthropist of the Year, Akilah Wallace. “Black Philanthropy Month was started back in 2011 by Dr. Jacqueline Bouvier Copeland and the Pan-African Women’s Philanthropy Network.” According to Akilah Wallace, the movement didn’t become a national issue until 2013 when Valaida Fullwood and Tracey Webb gave this month its platform and awareness. Wallace herself is a fellow philanthropist! She’s the Executive Director for the nonprofit organization Faith in Texas, who does community outreach for North Texas. However, her passion project is Heritage Giving Fund which she founded and considers it her “community service.” … And within this month is a big date – 8/28. Not only is this date historical, it’s also Black Philanthropy Month’s holiday – Black Giving Day. Similar to North Texas Giving Day or Giving Tuesday – Black Giving Day is a day to give back to those charities and nonprofit organizations that are sometimes the only resources many people of color have for information and help. “This is an opportunity for black-lead nonprofits to make a call to action for financial contributions across the nation to support their organization.” Every little contribution counts and you don’t have to just donate money – think about donating your time and skills too! It’s a time for you to help those who help others. Excerpted from CW33. Read the full article and view the interview here.

August is Black Philanthropy Month, which was first observed in 2011 and scaled nationally in 2013. Still, too few people have heard of what is essentially a call to action to recognize and support the efforts and impacts of charities in Black communities. To kick off Black Philanthropy Month in Dallas, FWD>DFW and CW33 introduced viewers to Young Black & Giving Back Institute 2019 Philanthropist of the Year Akilah Wallace. “This is a month where we celebrate and honor the contributions of not only individual and institutional philanthropists but also the organizations that are on the ground who are carrying out the work, the Black women and men who are leading nonprofits who are fully committed to ensuring that the resources that are needed to grow and sustain and rebuild our communities are available,” Wallace told CW33 journalist Andy Nguyen about Black Philanthropy Month. Excerpted from Dallas Morning News. Read the full article here.