Engaging diverse leadership voices for improving children’s lives

Eighty dynamic leaders are becoming fellows in the WKKF Community Leadership Network in collaboration with the Center for Creative Leadership. They’ll spend the next 18 months working together to grow their leadership skills, deepen their understanding of racial equity and racial healing and build a strong connected network – all to create transformational change for children, families and communities. Read about these inspiring leaders who make up the fellows of Class Three! 

It might be summer break, but caring for our littlest ones never stops! Throughout the summer, actor Tyler James Williams joins us to elevate firsthand accounts of early child care and education advocates. He’ll highlight both the challenges they face and their ongoing efforts to provide equitable learning and development opportunities for children across the U.S. The initiative began at the 2023 Essence Festival of Culture with an onstage conversation between Williams and our President and CEO La June Montgomery Tabron. They discussed the state of early child care and education, the recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action and the need for educators of color. Stay tuned as more stories are shared.

WKKF grantee Promise54 is offering a four-part discussion series focused on amplifying the voices of leaders of color working to promote racial justice in the midst of increasing sociopolitical and cultural resistance. In the first session – Headwinds: Continuing to Advance Equity in Higher Education – leaders shared ideas on how to collectively advance educational equity in higher education despite ongoing challenges and backlash including the recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Upcoming topics are focused on philanthropy’s responsibility in tumultuous times and community and self-care as a form of resistance. Register here to tune in to the rest of the series.

An episode of “CBS Reports” hosted by Vladimir Duthiers called Fighting for Haiti featured people Duthiers called “Haitians [who] see glimmers of hope that keep them fighting for a brighter future.” They include WKKF partners such as grantee Jétry Dumont, director of media outlet AyiboPost, and Ariel Dominique of WKKF consultant Ayiti Diaspora Collaborative. Although Dumont described the extremely difficult situation facing Haiti today, he concluded, “I’m an optimist. I think we need to understand the values and the potential that Haiti has and understand that at the end, we collectively have to make the decisions of where we want to go.”

The National Governors Association introduced a Maternal and Infant Health Initiative Playbook aimed at improving maternal and infant health outcomes. The playbook outlines a comprehensive strategy that addresses various aspects of maternal care, such as mental health, access to health care and reducing racial disparities in maternal mortality rates. The playbook highlights 32 policy recommendations aimed at addressing discriminatory policies and practices that lead to disparities in maternal health outcomes and affect infant health.