Movement Strategy Center Highlights Milestones, Stories, and Achievements from the Ecosystem
Community Chronicles is a seasonal shout-out to our ecosystem partners and their incredible achievements. Read on for some of the ways our ever-growing list of over 150 community-led and centered partners — including Fiscally Sponsored Projects (FSPs), the Movement Strategy Network (MSN), and grantees — are making the world a brighter place.
As the sun shines brightest, summer invites us to enjoy celebrations, picnics, and days in the sun. It’s a time to savor simple joys like outdoor gatherings, debates over the song of the summer, and a refreshing drink or two. This summer, however, called us to stand strong against efforts to erase our identities and stories through legislative attacks and cultural suppression. Today, let’s celebrate the resilience and unity of our communities by embracing the revolutionary act of existing proudly and showing that we will not be silenced.
This showcase of summer happenings throughout the MSC ecosystem is a reminder that despite today’s struggles, activists, allies, and communities are using art, advocacy, education, music, poetry, stories, and more to heal, grow, love, and stand up against hate. Read on for some highlights, stay informed with our newsletter, and connect with us on social media so you don’t miss a moment of motivation.
New WeGovern Clinic Series Launched
Resonance Network launched Living into Collective Governance: WeGovern Clinic Series. The series, built upon the wisdom of their inaugural clinics and the WeGovern Learning Community, explored collective governance rooted in Indigenous wisdom and practices, emphasizing care for people, places, and the Earth. Participants developed their understanding of governance, engaged in physical and story practices, and created action plans for community transformation. Learn more about the four-part online workshop here.
Juneteenth Reality Hack
Wakanda Dream Lab proudly partnered with the Juneteenth Reality Hack from June 14-16 in downtown Oakland. Envisioned by Damien McDuffie, founder of Black Terminus AR, the event merged art and technology, allowing users to transform artwork and videos into augmented reality experiences with just a phone or tablet. Beyond visual effects, Black Terminus reimagined archival assets like family photos, murals, and historical moments in augmented reality. Projects from the hack became part of the AR Museum for the People, an open-air, augmented reality museum uniting analogue and digital artists to create a new art dimension. A highlight was the “Animating Faces for AR | Muglife” workshop, taught by Wakanda Dream Lab cofounder Calvin Williams, showcasing the community’s innovative spirit.
MMIWG Funder Briefing
In June, Return to the Heart Foundation, an incubated project from our partners at Full Spectrum Labs, held a virtual panel and funder briefing to address the crisis surrounding Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn, Girls, and Two Spirit People (MMIWG/2S). Featuring critical research and efforts aimed at creating real change to combat this epidemic in Native communities, participants learned about the movement to disrupt violence and human trafficking and create action within the philanthropic sector.
Walk for Midwifery
Our partners at BIPOC Student Midwives Fund hosted Step Forward for Midwifery at Lake Merritt in Oakland, an event that combined celebration with education. Against the beautiful backdrop of the lake, attendees enjoyed a day filled with music, delicious refreshments, and activities for all ages, including yoga sessions, arts and crafts, and leisurely walks. Dressed in purple, a sea of supporters gathered to advocate and fundraise for Student Skills Days and apprenticeship stipends. These initiatives are crucial in enhancing perinatal health outcomes and fostering diversity within the midwifery field. Although the event has passed, you can still support this impactful movement by contributing here.
Jazz and Healing
Healing Clinic Collective (HCC) participated in the 24th Annual Jazz Arts Festival at San Antonio Park in Oakland. This free event celebrated Oakland’s tradition of art and resistance, focusing on unity, land back, and ending genocide. Hosted by the Eastside Cultural Center, the festival featured performances by Oakland-based bands and artists, including jazz and hip-hop, alongside live graffiti painting and dynamic dance troupes. HCC created a communal altar and healing portal, where network bodyworkers offered their services, deepening the sense of community.
Julie Quiroz’s Poetic Brilliance in Yes! Magazine
Check out Julie Quiroz’s beautiful poem, “Where Days Are Born,” featured in Yes! Magazine’s Murmurations column, curated by adrienne maree brown. Quiroz, of Movement Strategy Network member New Moon Collaborations, gracefully navigates the movement systems and the equitable birth ecosystem, providing vital support to birth workers. Her poetry, inspired by the moon and her beloved daughter, offers a profound glimpse into her unique world. You can dive into her heartfelt reflections and experience the intersection of her passions here.
Urban Peace Movement is now a 501(c)3
On May 21, Urban Peace Movement (UPM) hosted their annual Town Up Tuesday, a celebration of Oakland’s vibrant community. This live music festival featured nine performers, two DJs, and two hosts — all dedicated to loving and uplifting the beautiful city of Oakland. Join us in congratulating UPM on their big transition from a MSC fiscally sponsored project to their very own 501(c)3! We encourage you to follow UPM to stay up to date on the amazing things they’re up to in Oakland and beyond!
And Right Here at MSC
Welcome to Our Newest FSP and Board Members
Over the summer, we expanded our group of fiscally sponsored projects to include Love Wins NYC, an organization combating food insecurity in New York City. We welcomed Aisha Shillingford, Artistic Director at Intelligent Mischief, and Shiva Patel, Associate Director of Investments at the D.C. Green Bank, to the MSC Board of Directors. Learn more about them and the rest of the board here.
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Sponsoring Pride
Movement Strategy Center was a proud co-sponsor of the fifth annual Queer Afro Latin Dance Festival in San Jose, Calif. This annual event showcases extraordinary talent and passion within the dance community, with dancers, instructors, and participants visiting from throughout the U.S. and the wider world!
Out Now: Practicing Liberation
Join us in celebrating the release of Practicing Liberation, featuring MSC co-founder Taj James. Edited by Hala Khouri and Tessa Hicks Peterson, this powerful anthology addresses burnout, trauma, and community care in social justice work with contributions from influential voices like Kazu Haga and Leslie Booker, and offers practical tools for long-term social change. Order your copy here and order the companion workbook here.
Staff Retreats on Both Coasts
In April, our fully remote Advancement and Movement Infrastructure and Innovation Center (MIIC) teams held in-person retreats to focus on team development, group norms, and KPI’s in support of MSC’s strategic plan and our FSPs, grantees, and ecosystem partners. The Advancement team gathered in Manhattan, eager to strengthen their connections with each other and their work. For one team member, it marked the beginning of their journey with MSC — read about it here. Meanwhile, the MIIC team held a successful retreat at MSC’s offices in downtown Oakland. Karmella Green, a Project Advisor on the MIIC team, appreciated this time as “an opportunity to reflect and be vulnerable.” Learn more here.
Staffers Hit Atlanta
Building partnerships that go beyond infrastructure for our fiscally sponsored projects is our founding purpose. Recently, MSC visited our Atlanta-based partner, TransFormation Alliance (TFA). TFA has been a pivotal advocate for equitable transit-oriented development in the city. During their visit, the team toured Atlanta Land Trust’s latest affordable housing development and met a proud new homeowner, thanks to the trust’s program as financed by TFA. Seeing the tangible impact of our collaboration was inspiring. TFA’s Project Director Amari Foster shared, “I really love being able to do work that changes lives!” The vision of affordable housing near public transportation, food, entertainment, schools, and jobs is becoming a reality — and we were thrilled to witness it firsthand.
MSC Staffer Attends the Conference of African American Financial Professionals
August marked the celebration of Black Philanthropy Month and the 18th annual Conference of African American Financial Professionals (CAAFP), held this year in Atlanta, Ga. Simone Champagnie, Director of Individual Giving, represented MSC at the conference, which focuses on educating and advocating for the role of Black, African American, and DEI-committed professionals in the financial services industry. This year’s theme, “Expanding Our Collective Impact,” addressed solutions to unlock new opportunities for communities of color, narrowing the racial wealth gap, and building generational wealth. MSC’s Advancement Team values the opportunities to partner with financial professionals as they guide their clients in making informed and meaningful decisions that combine charitable giving with financial, tax, and estate planning goals.
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