What We're Reading: Leading while Black, a reflection from Marcus Walton
Marcus Walton, CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations (GEO), tackles leading while Black, as part of Nonprofit Quarterly's series lifting up Black male voices "to highlight the challenges Black male leaders in the nonprofit sector face, as well as the sector as a whole—amid ongoing anti-Black violence and the disparate racial impact of COVID-19."
Walton says,
As a Black man, I wonder to what extent I can expect meaningful social change to occur in ways that respond to the myriad forms of generational disenfranchisement imposed on my ancestors for centuries. For example, how high can I set expectations for change without simultaneously exposing myself to near-certain pain and frustration or making myself susceptible to extreme disappointment? As a leader of a national philanthropy-serving organization and a peer to several networks of caring individuals committed to changing the world, I wonder what is possible through our cooperative planning and strategic coordination. For example, what would be possible if we committed to cultivating and leveraging our collective genius?
Image: Grantmakers for Effective Organizations website