Good afternoon beloved community,

I have deeply reflected on the last few months of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent, yet not unique tragedies of indisputable violence against the Black community. We know many of our black, indigenous, and people of color in our region bear the brunt of health, education, and economic disparity, as a result of years and years of systemic racism and a system devised to elevate some of us, while pushing others down.

As a Foundation, we share the grief and anger felt by so many in this time of unease and unrest sparked by the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others. We recognize it is wrong that it took another senseless act of violence to open the eyes of our nation to the devaluation of humanity for Black Americans.

Two years ago, as a part of our Strategic Roadmap, the Board of Directors specifically named equity as a value of Triangle Community Foundation and began implementing changes internally which will continue to lead us on a journey to address the most pressing issues facing our communities. We recognize that we still have a long way to go to demonstrate more meaningful impact, and our donors and nonprofits look to us for guidance on how that value shows up as an action in our region. Institutional change is ongoing and uncomfortable, and it should be.

As a Board, we strive to reflect the diversity of our community in our leadership and through the many diverse lenses of our community partners, advisors, and donors. Each perspective informs us how to fully invest and maximize the allocation of resources to our community. We acknowledge racism causes societal destabilization and creates negative outcomes for the health, education, and economic prosperity of our most vulnerable citizens. As a Foundation, we seek change and growth, and commit to living into our values.

We will continue to prioritize funding to organizations led by and serving People of Color, because we know that these communities have the least access to the resources and networks they need to thrive. We are dedicated to learning about and taking action to dismantle systemic barriers that continue the cycle of inequity in our region. We will continue to educate ourselves and engage our donors in conversation, amplifying voices that are marginalized along the way, as to why these racial and structural inequities exist, and how we can invest in promoting real change. Internally, we will examine our own structures and processes and determine how racism may show up, and what we need to do to change that.

The Black lives of our staff members, our board members, their families, and every single Black person in our community matter. We commit to learning alongside you and working together to make real change. While we do not know what the future holds, we are committed to strengthening the people and re-imagining a community with health, education, and economic parity. Let us all acknowledge the breach and our responsibility to fully repair the breach for humanity.

Respectfully,

Farad Ali
Board Chair, Triangle Community Foundation