Jaime Sharp's Blog

"The Bori-Corridor, a project that will increase the presence of Puerto Rican artists in the eastern United States and connect them with the main cultural centers of the diaspora, received a $700,000 allocation from the Mellon Foundation for its development beginning next year," said Sin Comillas on behalf of Mellon Foundation. "The Mellon Foundation is the leading funder of the arts and humanities in the United States. The proposal was presented by Elsa Mosquera Sterenberg and Zeida García Casillas from Ágora Cultural Architects."

"Artists are the free thinkers and the first movers of culture, and culture is the basis of belief and action. To support an artist’s idea—to help realize new work—is to set into motion a new worldview. This is the exciting role philanthropy can play in creating a freer, more sustainable, and equitable society, said Christine Kuan for artnet news. "Today, the narratives that shape our laws, policies, and daily life are disproportionately dominated by a subset of the population. From museums and the art market to Hollywood, the old story remains that only a small percentage of artists represented are women and artists of color. White men make up 30 percent of the U.S. population, but represent most museum acquisitions, art market sales, and Hollywood film directors. Yet, museums, auction houses, and cinemas are downstream from the primary issue, which is: Who gets funded to make art?"

"In public health, we often talk about 'closing the gap in health inequities' in order to create conditions for optimal health for all. These discussions reflect a growing consensus that health is a human right, which sets the stage for a shared vision of health justice," said Nineequa Blanding for Nonprofit Quarterly. "They also mirror ongoing efforts to achieve racial equity by addressing structural racism and its attendant injustices, in the process expanding the health focus from the individual to the collective and society. These conversations and the work they inspire position the field of public health as a major actor in helping to protect, promote, and preserve our well-being."

From PolicyLink: "This labor of love is guided by the brilliance of 56 grassroots organizers and housing advocates who came together during 2022 to define and build a housing justice narrative. We recognize that in this moment, we have both the resources and the will to create a future in which every person has all their basic needs met."

"Executives in professional social justice institutions, grassroots activists in local movements, and fiery young radicals on protest lines are all advancing urgent concerns about the internal workings of progressive spaces," said Maurice Mitchell for The Forge. "The themes arising are surprisingly consistent. Many claim that our spaces are 'toxic' or 'problematic,' often sharing compelling and troubling personal anecdotes as evidence of this. People in leadership are finding their roles untenable, claiming it is 'impossible' to execute campaigns or saying they are in organizations that are 'stuck.'"

From the MacArthur Foundation: Kristen Mack, Vice President, Communications, Fellows, and Partnerships, shares thinking on umbrella terms, which are intended to be inclusive but often come up short when discussing complex and evolving identities.

"For over 15 years, Sahar and I worked in proximity to one another as impact producers; strategists who lead campaigns to maximize the reach and impact of social issue documentary films...As impact producers, our role was to connect documentary films with people and organizations that could leverage the films to shift perceptions, behaviors, resources, legislation, narratives and power," said Sonya Childress for Medium. "Both Sahar and I shared a belief in the transformative power of film, and a deep respect for the artistry of filmmakers. We also felt deep accountability to the communities who would be most affected — positively or negatively — by nonfiction work."

From Forward Promise: "The grind of movement work takes an extra toll on leaders of color. Through their lived experiences, they are well-acquainted with the same dehumanization and racial trauma that they are committed to eradicating from society. Oftentimes, leaders of color are bearing this emotional, physical, and mental cost—the tax that they pay for their social consciousness—alone. They should not have to drive themselves to sickness or death in the war on racism. Right now, funders can do more than merely applaud their martyrdom by investing in the well-being of leaders of color in seven key ways."

"Invisibility is deadly. When they don’t see us, we don’t exist," said Crystal Echo Hawk (Pawnee) for Medium. "One of the biggest perpetrators of our erasure has been the multi-trillion dollar entertainment industry. Native American characters only make up between 0-.04% of primetime TV and films. What’s more, the 2021 Hollywood Diversity Report found Native representation in film has remained stagnant at 0.6%. Quite a stark difference from the 66.9% for white men. While these numbers are staggering, they are not surprising. They are part of the fuel that ignites our work to build pathways for Native creatives in the film industry."

From Filmmaker Magazine: "The conversation about documentary impact has undergone a number of shifts since impact producing began to emerge as a practice within the documentary field around 20 years ago. Today it is almost expected that a social issue documentary film will be accompanied by an impact campaign to help ensure its story will reach audiences and motivate them towards social change, deeper engagement with a story’s themes and further learning."