Holding up the Roof:
How Philanthropy Can Bolster Democracy
In Episode 3, hosts Phil Buchanan and Grace Nicolette are joined by LaTosha Brown, co-founder of Black Voters Matter, an organization working to fight voter suppression and build power in marginalized, predominantly Black communities. LaTosha shares with Phil and Grace about her experience as an organizer and an intermediary, and discusses the role that donors can play in strengthening democracy.
Guest Info
LaTosha Brown is an award-winning organizer, philanthropic consultant, political strategist, and jazz singer with over twenty years of experience working in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors on a wide variety of issues related to political empowerment, social justice, economic development, leadership development, wealth creation, and civil rights.
She is the co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund, a power building, southern-based civic engagement organization that played an instrumental role in the 2017 Alabama U.S. Senate race. Ms. Brown is principal owner of TruthSpeaks Consulting, Inc., a philanthropy advisory consulting firm in Atlanta, GA. For more than 25 years, she has served as a consultant and advisor for individual donors, government, public foundations, and private donors. She is also the founding project director of Grantmakers for Southern Progress.
Credits
Producer: Sarah Martin
Music: “FasterFasterBrighter” by Blue Dot Sessions
Artwork: Jay Kustka
Resources
Black Voters Matter Fund
Brennan Center for Justice (non-partisan law & policy institute with data-driven resources about voter suppression)
Black Girls Dream Fund
CEP Staff’s Favorite Racial Justice Organizations
- The Marsha P. Johnson Institute
- Dreamcorps
- Blackbird
- Black Girls Smile
- Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance
- Loveland Foundation
- The Bail Project
- Equal Justice Initiative
- City Life/Vida Urbana
- Color of Change
- Bend the Arc
- National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA)
- Southern Poverty Law Center’s hate map
- ACLU racial justice program
- Indivisible
- The Movement for Black Lives (M4BL)
- Be The Bridge
- TakeRoot Justice
- Alternatives for Community & Environment
- Black Mamas Matter
- Buy From a Black Woman
- Black Women’s Blueprint
- The Okra Project (a collective)
- Black Trans Travel Fund (a mutual aid fund)