Language can be used to engage or divide. The language we use relating to challenging intersectional issues of systemic racism, environmental inequities, and economic exploitation allows us to honor, celebrate, and amplify voices of BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA+ movement leaders, activists, and communities working toward a world of interdependence, liberation, and resilience. This is not intended to be a be-all-end-all list for inclusive language — it provides guidelines for ways that we can employ inclusive language and integrate a racial equity lens in our writing.
This is not intended to be comprehensive but reflects the language MSC uses in conversations regarding social justice, diversity, and allyship. In every context, these meanings may change and evolve but they provide a starting point for our community and our website visitors to engage in open and honest conversation throughout our ecosystem. We hope it will be used as a tool to build a shared language of understanding and We acknowledge that we do not own this thinking — there is a community producing this, from the languages we use to the concepts and insights that we suggest. We acknowledge our infinitive indebtedness to others and suggest you explore the references at the bottom of the page to learn more.
A political vision and broad strategy eliminates imprisonment, policing, and surveillance and creates lasting alternatives to punishment and incarceration. Abolition is both a practical organizing tool and a long-term goal.
How individuals and communities hold themselves to their goals and actions and acknowledge the values and the groups for which they are responsible. To be accountable, one must be visible, with a transparent agenda and process.
The philosophical intersection of imagination, history, the future, and liberation melds African Diaspora culture with technology.
Individuals with diverse and multifaceted self-identities hailing from Latin America and the diaspora. Folks may use a range of terms to describe themselves, including but not limited to Black Latinx (or “negro(a)/x” in Spanish), Afrodescendant (or “afrodescendiente” in Spanish), and Afro Latinx.
Term to describe the stereotyping, prejudice, and/or discrimination people face based on their age, regardless of their age group. This phenomenon has a pervasive impact on our society, ranging from the workplace (e.g., losing a job due to age) to healthcare (e.g., doctors not taking older individuals seriously).
A person who makes the commitment and effort to recognize their privilege (based on gender, class, race, sexual identity, etc.). A person who works in solidarity with oppressed groups in the struggle for justice. Allies understand that it is in their interest to end all forms of oppression, even those from which they may benefit in concrete ways.
A two-part formation that both voids the values of Blackness while systematically marginalizing Black people and their issues. The first form of anti-Blackness is overt racism and the covert structural and systemic racism that categorically predetermines the socioeconomic status of Black people in this country. The second form of anti-Blackness is the unethical disregard for anti-Black institutions and policies as a product of class, race, and/or gender privilege that certain individuals experience due to anti-Black institutions and policies. The first form of overt racism protects the second form of anti-Blackness.
A theory that deliberately takes action to dismantle a system characterized by white supremacy and anti-Black racism and uncovers various manifestations of racism, including overt and covert, interpersonal and institutional, historical and contemporary, persistent and emerging.
Coined by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the concept describes a society built on economic and social inclusivity, a community in which everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, exploitation, and hate.
Intolerant prejudice that glorifies one group and denigrates members of other groups.
Referring to those who identify as Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color.
The acknowledgment of the charm, competence, ingenuity, and tenacity of Black women in a society tainted by anti-Black sexism, as well as a deliberate attempt to emphasize the contribution of Black women in every facet of American life. This sentiment can be encapsulated by terms such as #BlackGirlMagic and #ProfessionalBlackGirl, while the opposite would be represented by the term misogynoir.
An ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black humanity, Black contributions to society, and Black resilience in the face of deadly oppression.
A political movement started in 2013 by three radical Black organizers — Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi; it addresses systemic and state violence against African Americans.
As a form of environmental justice, climate justice means that all species have the right to access and obtain the resources needed to have an equal chance of survival and freedom from discrimination. As a movement, climate justice advocates are working from the grassroots up to create real solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation that ensure the right of all people to live, learn, work, play, and pray in safe, healthy, and clean environments.
A future in which ecosystems, human labor, and cultures are integrated into a thriving regenerative web of life.
Invasion, dispossession, and subjugation need not be military; it can begin — or continue — as a geographical intrusion in the form of agricultural, urban, or industrial encroachments. Such incursion is the dispossession of vast amounts of lands from the original inhabitants, often legalized after the fact. The long term result of such massive dispossession is institutionalized inequality. The colonizer/colonized relationship is, by nature, an unequal one that benefits the colonizer at the expense of the colonized.
The act of switching between two or more languages or dialects during conversation. For example, Latinx Americans may alternate between Spanish, Indigenous/Native dialects, and English, while Black Americans may switch between African American Vernacular English (or Black English) and Standard English. This practice is often used within a particular community or at home, and individuals do not typically code-switch when communicating with someone who does not share their same language.
The racial ideology that assumes the best way to end discrimination is by focusing on commonalities between people, such as their shared humanity, without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity. This is a term that should be avoided in transformative movement work.
Communities can utilize their power, privilege, and resources to assist individuals within and beyond their immediate sphere of influence, such as friends, neighbors, colleagues, or fellow members of an organization. This may involve activism, practicing anti-racism, speaking out against injustices, contributing funds to organizations, or simply asking, “What do you need, and how can I help?”
Inspired by the collaborative efforts of farmers and civil rights activists, including the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1969, a Community Land Trust is an endeavor to ensure lasting housing affordability and community stewardship. By distinguishing land ownership from property ownership, it ensures homes are accessible to low and moderate income families while preserving the essence of community participation and control. This term also applies to initiatives aimed at preserving natural habitats, preventing urban sprawl, and maintaining green spaces.
Through unity, the collective spirit and wisdom, and shared goals, community organizing seeks to kindle transformation and ensure all voices resonate across echelons of power to address social injustices and influence pivotal decisions.
The act of taking an idea, dismantling it, and then reassembling it using both original and adapted components, assigning a new name to the resulting creation, and subsequently asserting it as a novel invention or concept is a form of appropriation. This can also involve falsely asserting ownership or authorship of the original idea or innovation.
Critical Race Theory considers many of the same issues conventional civil rights and ethnic studies take. Still, it places them in a broader perspective, including economics, history, and even emotions and the unconscious. Unlike traditional civil rights, which embraces incrementalism and step-by-step progress, Critical Race Theory questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and principles of constitutional law.
The communal tapestry of practices and beliefs threading a social group together. Spanning geography, language, history, and traditions, it is the collective heartbeat echoing shared experiences and worldviews.
Theft of cultural elements — including symbols, art, language, customs, etc. — for one’s use, commodification, or profit, often without understanding, acknowledgment, or respect for its value in its original culture. It results from a dominant (i.e., White) culture’s right to appropriate other cultural elements.
Where individuals recognize and appreciate the significance of race and ethnicity without perpetuating stereotypes or biases. Also referred to as racial consciousness.
An idea that suggests that individuals from low income backgrounds are impoverished due to a lack of work ethic, motivation, or excessive reliance on government support, as well as the belief that poverty is cyclical and linked to psychological pathologies that are passed down from generation to generation.
The active resistance against colonial powers and a shifting of power towards political, economic, educational, cultural, and psychic independence originates from a colonized nation’s own Indigenous culture.
Deep Democracy is an innovative facilitation and governance approach that emphasizes inclusive dialogue and collective decision-making, ensuring that often unheard voices from the global majority are included. Deep Democracy incorporates emotional intelligence into decision-making and conflict resolution, fostering a culture of deep listening and shared wisdom within communities and groups. This method transcends individual interests, focusing on the holistic wellbeing of the group and aiming for decisions that gain unanimous support. It is democratic in its core principle that every participant's voice is crucial, advocating for a balance between majority and minority perspectives. The deep aspect of Deep Democracy lies in its commitment to engaging not just with rational ideas but also with emotions, intuitions, and underlying issues, bringing a level of authenticity and depth to conversations that lead to more meaningful and resonant outcomes.
The voluntary or forcible movement of peoples from their homelands into new regions. The common element in all forms of the diaspora are people who live outside their natal (or imagined natal) territories and recognize that their traditional homelands are reflected deeply in the languages they speak, the religions they adopt, and the culture they produce.
Recognizing conditions that impact the body or mind, presenting unique challenges in interactions or activities. It underscores the spectrum of diverse abilities, emphasizing individual experiences within the broader human narrative.
Used to describe neighborhoods with high poverty rates. This is a term that should be avoided in transformative movement work. Instead, use: have to make ends meet on low wages; or neighborhoods with high poverty rates.
The unequal treatment of various groups based on race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion, and other categories.
The systemic reduction or elimination of capital resources and the purposeful withdrawal of investment from communities, meaning developers and builders no longer spend their money to improve neighborhoods, businesses, or shared spaces in the community, resulting in less infrastructure over time.
How people differ, including race, ethnicity, and gender — the groups that most often come to mind when the term diversity is used — but also age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. It can also involve different ideas, perspectives, and values.
In the pursuit of equity, liberation, inclusion, and justice, the MSC Beloved Community Ecosystem comprises Movement Strategy Center’s board, staff, network partners, sponsored projects, program participants, and supporters.
An embodiment practice is a method of using the unique sensations of our body as a tool to develop awareness, stay present, self-regulate, feel whole, find balance, feel connected, know ourselves, love ourselves, and be empowered.
The effort required to manage emotions and behaviors in accordance with the demands of a job. This includes regulating emotions to meet the expectations of employers, colleagues, and customers. Unfortunately, emotional labor is often disproportionately borne by BIPOC individuals, particularly women. For example, suppressing negative reactions to discriminatory comments or pretending to be cheerful to appease customers.
Approaching each individual with uniform treatment, often overlooking historical and structural imbalances that have favored some while disadvantaging others. While aspirations of colorblindness arise in an attempt to counteract prejudice, they can inadvertently perpetuate disparities by neglecting systemic forces that have long shaped perceptions.
An organization committed to aiding grassroots led groups, particularly those without 501c tax exempt status and from historically underserved communities, while advocating for equity in foundational practices and decision making.
Recognizing each person has different circumstances and allocating the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equally positive outcome.
Refers to identifying a group based on a perceived cultural distinctiveness that makes the group into a “people.” A social construct, ethnicity divides people into smaller social groups based on ancestral geographical base, history, the shared sense of group membership, values, behavioral patterns, language, political and economic interests.
A capitalist system of exploitation and oppression that values consumerism, colonialism, and money over people and the planet. An extractive economy views natural resources as commodities to dig, burn, and dump with no regard for its impact on communities and utilizes oppressive force to undermine democracy, community, and workers. The extractive economy perpetuates the enclosure of wealth and power for a few through predatory financing, expropriation from land and commonly accessed goods and services, and the exploitation of human labor.
A logical fallacy in which two opposing viewpoints or arguments are deemed to be equal when they are not. This fallacy relies on weak or superficial similarities to downplay the significant differences between them, thereby undermining the crucial observations and implications of those distinctions.
Forward Stance is a mind-body practice that helps activists step fully into
leadership, build powerful organizations, and align movements, and can provide practitioners a powerful way to learn and gain new insight through physical movement and mind-body connection. Forward Stance, created within the Reproductive Justice Movement where people and institutions must move physically (and not just mentally), cultivates four core elements: stance, awareness, energy, and rhythm.
Members of these communities include those impacted most by climate change and its root causes, which include White supremacy, patriarchy, and colonization. These communities are embedded in legacy struggles against social, economic, and environmental injustices exacerbated by extractive and pollutive industries that have been purposely and systemically situated adjacent to or within said communities. This disproportionate exposure to climate and environmental injustice results in acute and chronic impacts to human and environmental health. Frontline organizations are those created by and for frontline communities, and are accountable to a base of frontline community members.
The societal and cultural construct of gender has historically been limited to a rigid and inaccurate binary categorization, dividing individuals into strictly male or female, man or woman, and masculine or feminine. Associating gendered traits, behaviors, and appearances that correspond to these binary distinctions comes with the expectation for men to exhibit strength, aggression, and wear masculine clothing, and the expectation for women to be nurturing, domestic, and wear makeup and feminine clothing. A binary assumption also presumes that an individual's gender identity and pronouns correspond with the sex assigned to them at birth. The reality is that gender is not binary and instead exists as an infinite spectrum, including people whose gender identities fall outside of or between the traditional man/woman framework.
Gender Non-Conforming, referring to those who do not identify with binary gender identity.
The longterm psychological effects of trauma (both personal and communal) that can be passed down through generations of families and cultures. Beyond psychological, these generational effects are also familial, social, cultural, neurobiological, and possibly even genetic.
Negative associations that people unknowingly hold and express automatically, without conscious awareness. Implicit biases affect an individual’s attitudes and actions, thus creating real world implications, even though they may not even be aware that those biases exist within themselves. This produces behavior that diverges from the explicit attitudes that many people profess. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is often used to measure implicit biases concerning race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, and other topics.
The act of including traditionally excluded individuals and/or groups into processes, activities, and decisionmaking in a way that shares power with authenticity.
Physical spaces for social interaction and development in which socially vulnerable individuals or groups, through the use of cross-sectoral partnerships and community-adapted development services, are empowered to become agents of their social transformation.
This refers to the extent to which income is distributed unevenly among a population. In the United States, income gaps are so pronounced that America’s wealthiest ten percent now average more than nine times as much income as the bottom 90 percent. The nation’s highest 0.01 percent of income earners have seen their incomes rise much faster than the rest of the top one percent in recent decades. This is a term that should be avoided in transformative movement work. Instead, use: income inequality; wage inequality; racial income inequality; or CEO/worker pay gaps.
Indigenous peoples can be identified in particular geographical areas by the presence, in varying degrees, of the following characteristics: close attachment to ancestral territories and the natural resources in these areas; self-identification and identification by others as members of a distinct cultural group; an Indigenous language, often different from the national language; the presence of customary social and political institutions, often subsistence oriented.
Unlike tribal sovereignty, Indigenous sovereignty does not depend on nation-state recognition. It emerges from traditional knowledge unique to each Indigenous group. Encompassing spiritual beliefs, culture, language, social frameworks, political structures, and relationships with land and water, it is independent of the nation-state's actions and continues as long as the people integral to it persist.
Individual racism refers to the beliefs, attitudes, and actions of individuals that support or perpetuate racism. Individual racism can be deliberate, or the individual may act to perpetuate or support racism without knowing what they are doing.
An act or instance of integrating a racial or other ethnic group. The goals of intergration include desegregation, the process of ending systematic racial segregation, and goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely bringing a racial minority into the majority culture. This is a term that should be avoided in transformative movement work.
The essential connections between communities and nations, emphasizing that the welfare of one influences the global collective. This principle demands fair solutions to climate change, particularly championing the voices of marginalized and communities of the Global South who are disproportionately affected by environmental injustices. Interdependence promotes collaborative, respectful pathways, valuing Indigenous and minority wisdoms, and aims for a future grounded in justice, sustainability, and collective wellbeing. It encourages unified actions and approaches that are equitable, inclusive, and uphold the dignity of all communities.
Internalized racism is the situation that occurs in a racist system when a racial group oppressed by racism supports the supremacy and dominance of the dominating group by maintaining or participating in the set of attitudes, behaviors, social structures, and ideologies that undergird the dominating group’s power.
Coined by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, intersectionality can help clarify how a person can simultaneously experience privilege and oppression. For example, a Black woman in America does not experience gender inequalities in the same way as a White woman, nor does she experience racial oppression identical to that experienced by a Black man. Each race and gender intersection produces a qualitatively distinct experience.
A set of unifying principles and practices supporting a just society has shifted from an extractive economy to a waste-free, regenerative economy. It must be equitable and must redress past harms. Its process must be just, or the outcome will not be.
Referring to those who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, Queer and Questioning, Intersex, Asexual.
Small but insidious instances of negative, derogatory, or harmful messages to individuals based on their marginalized or minority status. Microaggressions manifest in ambiguous insults, casual dismissals, and nonverbal cues that belittle or demean individuals because of their race, gender, sexuality, class, and size. In terms of race, the opposite of this is anti-racism, which involves actively opposing and dismantling the racist, imperialist, White supremacist, capitalist, patriarchal systems and beliefs.
The process of organizing and activating the will and capacity of people and organizations to work individually or collectively toward a shared vision.
Regarding nation-states, this refers to a form of patriotism characterized by chauvinism and an unwarranted sense of superiority over other countries. In the broader sense of “nation,” which may encompass racial or ethnic groups, this ideology stresses the importance of in-group solidarity and prioritization and sometimes advocates for political autonomy.
A general category and a particular identity for individuals whose gender identity and/or gender expression does not conform to the traditional male/female binary. While not all non-binary individuals use gender-neutral pronouns, many do. Some may also use the term “enby,” as in “n-b,” which stands for non-binary.
Rooted in the principle of Ahimsa, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) emerged as a compassionate approach to interaction, championed by Marshall Rosenberg and reflecting the nonviolence teachings of figures like Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. NVC principles, deeply entrenched in personal, interpersonal, and societal realms, serve as pathways to foster connections and ensure every need is addressed with empathy and mutual respect.
A system that consolidates and exercises structural and institutional power, primarily benefiting a dominant few. This concentration of power often leads to a disparity in wealth, resources, and opportunities, causing marginalized groups to experience diminished access, safety, and security. In essence, oppression stands in stark contrast to the principles of social justice.
A societal structure where men, both individually and collectively, subjugate individuals of other genders, encompassing mental, social, economic, and political aspects. Unlike the term sexism, patriarchy explicitly highlights the power dynamic in society. The patriarchal dynamic manifests itself in various ways, including individual actions such as street harassment, talking over women, and enforcing gender norms on children; institutionalized practices such as gender segregated bathrooms, the wage gap, and the gendered division of caretaking work; and cultural norms like the sexualization of women in media and the perpetuation of a binary gender myth.
The ability to influence others and impose one’s beliefs. All power is relational, and different relationships either reinforce or disrupt one another. The importance of the concept of power to anti-racism is evident: racism cannot be understood without understanding that power is an individual relationship and a cultural one. Those power relationships are constantly shifting. Power can be used malignantly and intentionally but need not be, and individuals within a culture may benefit from the power they are unaware of. Cultural power is all-encompassing, economic power is foundational, and political power reflects economics and culture.
A preconceived notion or judgment about something or someone, often based on generalizations rather than personal encounters. It leans heavily on stereotypes, bypassing direct experience.
Society’s formal and informal institutions afford unearned social power to all members of a dominant group (i.e., white privilege, male privilege, etc.). Privilege is usually invisible to those who have it because we are taught not to see it, but it puts them at an advantage over those who do not have privilege.
A term used to describe the overlapping interest of governments and industries who use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to economic, social, and political problems.
A term that describes identities and expressions outside the traditional notions of heterosexual and/or cisgender. This word can have multiple meanings, including: serving as an umbrella term to encompass the diverse and intersectional identities within the LGBTQIA+ community and acknowledging solidarity and shared experiences among these groups. It can be used when words like “gay,” “lesbian,” or “bi” do not accurately describe a sexual orientation or for individuals whose gender identity is non-binary, (such as genderqueer or queer). As a verb, “queering” can refer to applying queer theory to interpret media or challenging heteronormative and/or cisnormative standards in discourse, institutions, situations, or texts. Historically, queer was used as a pejorative term and may still be considered a slur by some, particularly older members of the LGBTQIA+ community. In the 1980s, activists began to reclaim the term as a politically radical alternative to assimilationist politics within the community. Today, the term is widely used and accepted by younger generations.
A societal construct, not rooted in biology, historically used to categorize humans into broad groups like Caucasoid (European), Negroid (African), and Mongoloid (Asian). Originating from European theories, this classification inaccurately posited that these groups evolved separately, with Caucasoids deemed the most evolved. The term was designed to overshadow nuanced ethnic identities, grouping diverse communities under broad racial labels. When information is available, specificity in referencing a person's cultural heritage and nationality is not only respectful but crucial, as broad terms like Asian encompass a diverse spectrum of ethnicities and nationalities — from Korean to Vietnamese — often obscuring their unique histories and cultural nuances. It is best to acknowledge and honor these distinctions whenever possible to provide a more accurate and meaningful understanding of an individual's identity.
The policies, practices, and procedures across institutions like housing, education, and transportation, that have discriminated based on race, making race a key determinant of one’s life outcomes.
The condition that would be achieved if racial identity was no longer a statistical predictor of outcomes, including eliminating policies, practices, attitudes, and cultural messages that reinforce differential outcomes by race or that fail to eliminate them.
To restore to health or soundness; to repair or set right; to restore to spiritual wholeness.
The undue suspicion and targeting of individuals based on race, ethnicity, or national origin, often under the guise of law enforcement. This practice, which assumes people of color are more likely to engage in criminal activity, leads to unjust stops, searches, and harassment, disproportionately impacting BIPOC communities.
Acts of aggression rooted in racial prejudice and targeting vulnerable communities of color. This encompasses a range of oppressive actions, from economic policies and political tactics to police brutality and colonial endeavors, all aiming to uphold structural power at the expense of people of color.
A complex system of beliefs and behaviors grounded in a presumed superiority of the white race. These beliefs and behaviors are conscious and unconscious, personal and institutional, and result in the oppression of people of color and benefit the dominant group, white people.
A regenerative economy is based on ecological restoration, community protection, equitable partnerships, justice, and full and fair participatory processes by producing, consuming, and redistributing resources in harmony with the planet, rather than extraction from the land and each other. A regenerative economy values the dignity of work and prioritizes community governance and ownership of work and resources instead of oppressive systems that devalue people and their labor through violent hoarding by few, while supporting collective and inclusive participatory governance, rather than limiting peoples’ ability to fully shape democracy and decisions that impact their communities. This requires an explicit anti-racist, anti-poverty, feminist, and living approach that is intersectional and eschews top-down, patriarchal, classist, xenophobic, and racist ideology.
Returning to the ways of life that hold reverence for nature and are inclusive of many types of knowledge. It extends beyond physical restoration, distinguishing it from “repatriation,” which often involves returning artifacts or individuals. Rematriation focuses on nurturing holistic connections and restoring balance.
Commonly used to describe the rightful return of land, remains, and cultural items to Native communities. Tied to Euro-centric, male-dominant ideas of ownership.
A theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused by crime and conflict. It places decisions in the hands of those most affected by wrongdoing and gives equal concern to the victim, the offender, and the surrounding community.
A term often used to describe prejudice against the racial majority. However, racism is rooted in power imbalances, where one group holds systemic influence. Situations labeled as “reverse racism” may not involve these power dynamics. For example, affirmative action aims to address historical injustices, not perpetuate them. It's essential to focus on systemic issues in discussions about racism.
A characteristic of a person that leads them to make choices and decisions based on their own preferences and interests to monitor and regulate their own actions and to be goal oriented and self-directing.
The circumstances surrounding a person's birth, development, life, employment, and aging are shaped by the allocation of resources, power, and wealth on a global, national, and local scale. The various environments and settings in which individuals find themselves, such as their school, workplace, neighborhood, or church, can influence the social, economic, and physical aspects of their lives, collectively referred to as “place.” In addition to the material conditions of place, factors such as social interaction and the sense of security and wellbeing can also be affected by an individual’s place of residence.
The idea that all people should have equal rights, opportunities, and access to resources.
A holistic way to change hearts, minds, and actions. As a transformational methodology grounded in practice, somatics supports individuals and collectives to embody issues they care about and to act together skillfully to be more impactful and whole. Somatics works through the body and engages thinking, emotions, relationships, vision, and actions through shared visions and values.
The term refers to the collective academic disciplines in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, which are commonly studied in education, utilized in the workforce, and pursued as recreational hobbies (e.g., computer coding, NASA, science fair projects). An increasing number of professionals and educators engaged in STEM fields support the inclusion of Art, referred to as STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math). Advocates for STEAM acknowledge that the arts can broaden the boundaries of STEM education and its practical applications.
An inherent bias favoring urban paradigms, perspectives, and priorities, which can overshadow and undermine rural communities. Culturally, it might undervalue rural voices, implying intellectual or moral inferiority compared to urban narratives. Economically, it often aligns with, either consciously or inadvertently, the principles of extractive capitalism.
The structure through which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various and often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial inequities among groups.
A characteristic of a person that leads them to make choices and decisions based on their own preferences and interests to monitor and regulate their own actions and to be goal-oriented and self-directing.
Transformative Justice (TJ) is a political framework and approach for responding to violence, harm, and abuse. It seeks to respond to violence at its most basic, without creating more violence and/or engaging in harm reduction to lessen the violence. TJ can be thought of as a way of “making things right” or creating justice together. It is an abolitionist framework that understands that prisons, police, and I.C.E. are sources of enormous amounts of violence and are systems designed to maintain social control through inherent violence.
Transformative Movement Building (TMB) is a holistic and comprehensive approach to transforming the world that is guided by the deepest values, vision, and purpose. TMB supports internal and external change simultaneously and integrates many levels of change — individual, interpersonal, and relational to institutional and systemic, including the ways we live to “be the change” in everyday life.
Movements that recognize that we are whole people and whole communities and our issues and problems are interconnected; thus, our systemic solutions and movements must be interconnected.
An intentional activity, or set of activities, done regularly over an extended period to ground oneself in purpose and facilitate profound growth, embodiment, and transformation.
The deep-rooted and self-sustained authority of Indigenous nations to self-regulate, an elemental power that existed long before contemporary nation-states. It signifies the prerogative of these nations to forge and honor their distinct legal systems, which includes establishing tribal courts, law enforcement bodies, and legislative codes. This form of governance is not just a legal right but a core component of cultural identity and very being, enduring despite intersecting with federal and state legal structures. Although historical federal enactments have restricted tribal sovereignty, particularly in criminal jurisdiction and law enforcement, it remains, enabling tribes to continuously reclaim and enhance their self-determination.
This refers to relatively heavily populated areas of high poverty and low income. It is often thought that these communities are largely Black and/or brown inner city neighborhoods located in metropolitan areas.
A principal means of enforcing oppression through a range of coercive mechanisms to establish, consolidate, or sustain power. Spanning across economic, political, cultural, religious, psychological, and physical dimensions, violence encompasses diverse behaviors and tactics wielded harmfully.
A term used to describe the disparity in earnings between men and women as well as non-binary individuals in the workforce. It is a persistent issue where women and non-binary individuals tend to earn less than men. Moreover, Black, Indigenous, and Latinx women face more significant pay gaps than their White and Asian counterparts, with disabled women earning less than non-disabled women.
A state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable for White people, triggering a range of defensive moves. These can include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and/or guilt, and behaviors including argumentation, silence, and/or leaving a stress-inducing situation. These behaviors, in turn, function to reinstate White racial equilibrium.
Refers to the unquestioned and unearned set of advantages, entitlements, benefits, and choices bestowed on people solely because they are White. Generally, White people who experience such privilege do so without being conscious of it.
An ideology that White people and the ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions of White people are superior to people of color and their ideas, thoughts, beliefs, and actions. White supremacy is ever present in our institutional and cultural assumptions. It assigns value, morality, goodness, and humanity to the White group while casting others as immoral, evil, inhuman, and undeserving.
Artificial and historically constructed, White Supremacy Culture is the dominant culture (that of the White middle class) that shapes our institutions, our media, the way we see ourselves, and each other. White Supremacy Culture is unconsciously used as the norm and standard that promotes White supremacy thinking, training, internalized attitudes, and behaviors that can show up in any group or organization, and are harmful to people of color and White people. Those characteristics are perfectionism, sense of urgency, defensiveness, quantity over quality, worship of the written word, paternalism, either/or thinking, power hoarding, fear of open conflict, individualism, objectivity, right to comfort, and progress.
Able-bodied
Normal (use “normal” only in medical/scientific context such as “normal test result” or “normal growth”)
Non-disabled
Person without disability
Abnormal
Atypical
Disabled person
Person with a disability
Addict
Alcoholic
Junkie
Someone with a drug/alcohol addiction
Someone with alcoholism
Someone in recovery and/or remission if someone is trying to recover from their addiction
Blind
Blind (for someone who has complete loss of sight)
Legally blind (for someone who has almost complete loss of sight)
Limited vision/Low vision/Partially sighted/Visually impaired (for someone who is neither legally or completely blind)
Cripple/Crip
Avoid: although some disability activists have reclaimed the terms, to ensure respect, allies and those without disabilities should not use them out of respect
Deaf
Deaf and hard of hearing community (when referring to the community of people with all kinds of hearing loss)
Partial hearing loss/Partially deaf (for those who have some hearing loss)
Defect/Defective
Person with a congenital disability
Person living with a congenital disability
Differently-abled
Special
Gifted
Person with a disability
Mad
Psycho
Deranged
Retarded
People with mental illness
Special Needs
Functional needs
Vertically-challenged
Midget
Dwarf
Someone with dwarfism
Short stature
Little person
Wheelchair-bound
Wheelchair user
Person who uses a wheelchair
Disadvantaged
Distressed
Disinvested
Having to make ends meet on low wages
Neighborhoods with access to fewer opportunities
Low-income neighborhoods/communities
Economic Independence
Economic mobility
Economic opportunity
Equity
Financial stability
Giving families the tools they need
Income Gap
Income inequality
Wage inequality
Racial income inequality
CEO/worker pay gap
Inner City
Neighborhoods with high poverty rates
Integration (as a solution to poverty)
Challenges due to caste apartheid
Ensuring families have the tools/resources they needs
Low Opportunity
Under-resourced
Poor/Poorest
Low income
Redneck
Hillbilly
Trailer Trash
Rural residents (to refer individuals based on their geographical location without any negative connotations)
Working class (to acknowledge their economic status without derogatory judgment)
Farmers or agricultural workers (for specificity if their occupation is in agriculture)
Community members (for everyone without discrimination)
Residents of [specific location] (name the specific area they are from, highlighting their community without prejudice)
Struggling
People facing barriers/multiple barriers
Struggling to Make Ends Meet
Working hard to make ends meet
Supporting Families
Strengthening families
Vulnerable (except for homelessness)
People with incomes below the poverty line
Working Poor
Low-wealth
Bathroom Bill
Non-discrimination law/ordinance
Gender-bender
They/them/their
Gender Identity Disorder
Sex Change
Gender affirmation
Hermaphrodite
Intersex
Non-straight/Not Straight
Queer
LGBTQIA+
Genderqueer
Genderless
Genderfluid
Pre-operative
Post-operative
Reassignment surgery
Gender confirmation
Prostitute
Prostitution
Sex worker
Sex work
Sexual Preference
Sexual orientation
Sexual Change Operation
Surgery
She-male
Transition
Transitioning
Trans woman/man
Shim Transsexual (unless that is how the person identifies)
Agender
Bigender
Transgendered
Transgender people
Person
Transvestite (unless that is how the person identifies)
Non-binary
Non-gender
Color blindness
Cultural awareness
Racial awareness/consciousness
Full-blood
Half-breed
Half-caste
Avoid: although some Indigenous activists have reclaimed the terms, allies and those without Indigenous ancestry should not use them out of respect
Indian (unless it is a quote or referring to an already established name)
Indigenous (for global references)
Original Peoples (for global references)
Aboriginal Peoples (specifically Australia)
First Nations (specifically Canada)
Native Americans (specifically Americas)
Minority/Minorities
People of the global majority
Negro
Avoid: although some Black activists have reclaimed the terms, allies and those without African-American ancestry should not use them out of respect
A friendly reminder: we’ve done our research, but you should, too! Check our sources against your own, and always exercise sound judgment.
ABC’s of Social Justice | Department of Inclusion & Multicultural Engagement, Lewis & Clark College
Ableism/Language | Autistic Hoya
A Progressive’s Style Guide | Sum of Us
Avoiding Ableist Language | Augsburg University
Centering Equity in Intermediary Relationships | Change Elemental
Cultural Appropriation | Colors of Resistance Archive
Disability Language Style Guide | National Center on Disability and Journalism
Disinvestment in Communities | OpenSciEd
Dismantling Racism Institute | National Conference for Community and Justice, St. Louis Region
Glossary of Transformative Social Change Terms | Hidden Leaf Foundation
Glossary | Racial Equity Tools
Glossary | The Movement for Black Lives
Housing / Anti-Displacement | Policy Link
How to Avoid “Inspiration Porn” | Forbes
How to Make Your Writing More Sensitive – and Why It Matters | Website Planet
Image Descriptions Guide | Sunrise
Introduction to NVC | The Center for Nonviolent Communication
Just Transition Principles | Climate Justice Alliance
Kimberlé Crenshaw and Lady Phyll Talk Intersectionality, Solidarity, and Self-Care | Them
Love With Power: Practicing Transformation for Social Justice | Movement Strategy Center
My Role in a Social Change Ecosystem: A Mid-Year Check-In | Deepa Iyer
Our Shared Language: Social Justice Glossary | YWCA Boston
Q4 2020 Deep Democracy | Sustainable Seattle
Rematriation | IllumiNative via Instagram
Social Incubators or Social Work? | Kristina Lundgren & Fares Youcefi
Somatic Movement Project
Strategy Sessions | Rural Organizing Project
Structural Urbanism Contributes to Poorer Health Outcomes for Rural America | Health Affairs
Style Guide for Inclusive Language | DC Fiscal Policy Institute
The Language of Anti-Racism | Yes! Magazine
The New Face of Under-Resourced Communities | Initiative for a Competitive Inner City
What Is the PIC? What Is Abolition? | Critical Resistance
White Supremacy Culture in Organizations | COCO
Working Definitions | United Frontline Workers
#WriteInclusion Factsheets | Think Tank for Inclusion & Equity
Chief Operating Officer
Lauren is a strategic problem solver with over a decade of operations experience at varied nonprofit organizations, including ZACH Theatre, Austin Community Foundation, and Austin Ed Fund. Lauren holds Bachelor’s degrees in theatre and public administration from Texas State University. She lives in Austin and loves catching a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse, taking her dogs to neighborhood parks, and checking new places off of her travel bucket list.
Executive Director
Carla has spent over 30 years providing support to vital community building efforts in nonprofit management and economic development. Prior to joining MSC in October 2020, Carla was senior vice president at Tides Network, vice president of community investment for the East Bay Community Foundation, and a program officer at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Carla has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California, and a Master of Science in public policy from California State University, Long Beach. Carla enjoys Creole cooking and traveling with her teenage son and her jazz musician husband.
Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer
Andrea, an east coaster at heart, moved to the Bay Area from New Jersey in 2009. She pursued her calling as a public servant during her time as an AmeriCorps intern at a youth center and clinic. Before joining MSC in 2023, Andrea was a part of the Tides and Tides Advocacy community for 12 years, designing and delivering solutions-based services for those who believe in challenging the status quo and dismantling inequities with a pro-Black framework. Andrea has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Seton Hall University, and is a 2017 New Leaders Council fellow. She loves exploring the beauty of the Bay Area, traveling to new destinations, and yelling at the TV while watching Jeopardy.
Chief Operating Financial Officer
Israel has over 24 years experience in both nonprofit and for-profit sectors; including healthcare, social services, and international organizations. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Amsara in Eritrea and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the Central Washington University’s School of Business. Israel’s expertise lies in financial leadership, operations, and strategic planning. Prior to joining MSC, Israel spent three years at the Public Health Institute, a global public health organization, playing a pivotal role in financial oversight, compliance, and system improvements. Israel is passionate about leveraging his expertise to support organizations creating positive social impact. and is committed to excellence in all his endeavors.
Chief People & Culture Officer
Marilyn has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years, and brings direct experience in fostering inclusive and empathetic cultures supported by structure and practices, strategic planning, employee relations and experience, communications, change management, public speaking, and building alliances. Her rich talent and culture experience includes roles as Vice President of Talent & Culture at Abode Services, Human Resources Director at Catholic Charities of the East Bay, Director of Human Resources and Operations at The National Writing Project, and Director of Human Resources at the City of Alameda Housing Authority and the San Lorenzo Unified School District. Marilyn holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from San Francisco State University and a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, East Bay.
Board Member
Mahalia earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Lehman College, City University of New York and has nearly 15 years of experience in nonprofit accounting. Her career began with former President Clinton, where she dedicated almost a decade to managing accounting functions for his foundation and various initiatives. She previously served as an accounting manager at Chosen Care; their mission to help children heal from trauma by strengthening families and addressing community needs drew her to the organization. Mahalia currently brings her extensive nonprofit accounting expertise to Tides Advocacy. Having recently relocated to Atlanta, Mahalia is enjoying exploring her new city, listening to audiobooks, and spending quality time with her family.
Finance Director
Lalaine is an experienced Certified Public Accountant with over 18 years of expertise in finance, auditing, and accounting. Lalaine joined Noble Accounting, LLC, in April 2023. Previously, she held positions at nonprofit, technology, and consumer product organizations as a controller and director of financial reporting and compliance, handling annual budgets of up to $30 million. She takes pride in providing financial leadership to various organizations.
By choosing to support MSC through your bequests and estate plans with a legacy gift, you are investing in a just future for everyone. Your support has the power to accelerate a Just Transition and connect you to our 100-year vision of transforming ourselves and transforming the future.
Connect with us if you are interested in exploring how you can have a profound and lasting impact on our communities. We welcome the opportunity to work with you and your professional advisor to develop a planned giving strategy that reflects your social justice journey and includes MSC.
We want to make it easy for you to support MSC in the way that is right for you. Contact us if you wish to make a gift to MSC in the form of appreciated securities — publicly traded stocks, bonds, and/or mutual fund shares.
If recommending a grant from a Donor Advised Fund (DAF), you may direct the DAF-sponsoring organization to make the disbursement* via ACH/wire, or make the check payable to “Movement Strategy Center” and mail to:
Movement Strategy Center
P.O. Box 511
Rodeo, CA 94572
Movement Strategy Center Federal Tax ID is 20-1037643
*Please include your name and address with DAF grants so we may thank you for your generosity and share with you the impact and outcomes.
Supporters who age 70½ or older can donate funds from their IRA accounts directly to MSC. This type of gift is called an IRA charitable rollover, or a qualified charitable distribution (QCD). Because the gift goes directly to the charity without passing through your hands, the dollar amount of the gift may be excluded from your taxable income up to a maximum amount annually, with some exceptions. Consult with your tax advisor regarding your specific situation.
To make a QCD, contact your IRA custodian (the institution that manages your account). You’ll have to fill out an IRA Charitable Distribution Form and submit it to your IRA custodian.
Many employers match qualified charitable contributions made by current or former employees and their spouses. If your company is eligible, please contact your HR department for instructions on how to activate a matching gift.
MSC welcomes your contribution. Please make your check payable to “Movement Strategy Center” and mail to:
Movement Strategy Center
P.O. Box 511
Rodeo, CA 94572
Senior Coordinator of Advancement & Communications
David is a media and communications professional with a passion for the environment and building small, interdependent communities. Originally from Vermont, he graduated from Castleton University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in media and communication, and began his career at a mental health agency in his hometown. As part of the LGBTQIA+ community, David cares deeply about celebrating historically marginalized people. David moved to Florida in 2022 to be closer to family and friends. He enjoys running and biking, listening to copious amounts of music, and spending as much time as possible outdoors.
Board Member
Shiva Patel is an environmental and economic justice advocate, strategist, ecosystem builder, capital steward and capital advisor. He has launched and supported the development of alternative ownership enterprises, financial institutions, community-based organizations and public agencies, focused on climate justice, energy democracy, the solidarity economy and non-extractive finance. He is the Managing Director at the Justice Climate Fund and was previously a Senior Fellow at The Solutions Project and Full Spectrum Capital Partners. Shiva was the Founder of the Energy Solidarity Cooperative, a multi-stakeholder cooperative focused on renewable energy in underserved communities. He served on the Board of Directors for Planting Justice, Rooted in Resilience and the Oakland Climate Action Coalition and was nominated to the founding Community Advisory Committee of East Bay Community Energy. Shiva has supported the racial and economic justice organizing and advocacy work of the Energy Democracy Project, Southeast Climate & Energy Network, Tennessee Valley Energy Democracy Movement and the Rural Power Coalition. He is a history and heterodox economics enthusiast who enjoys music, cooking, futbol and the outdoors. He has a BS in Environmental Economics and Policy, BA in Interdisciplinary Studies: Energy and Food Sovereignty, and MBA from UC Berkeley. He was born into a South Asian immigrant family in London, England and currently lives in Washington, DC.
Projects & Partnerships Steward
Christine is a community builder, experienced nonprofit program manager, speaker, facilitator, and champion for change and liberation. She’s passionate about communities deeply engaging with issues of social and racial justice, and finding their unique place in the social change ecosystem. With over 10 years experience at various nonprofits focused on serving families and youth, Christine understands how issues of racial and social justice impact historically oppressed and marginalized communities, from individual to systemic levels. She’s worked as senior program manager for Safe & Sound, director of programs for Hate Is A Virus, and is training to become a certified liberatory life coach. Christine is a first generation Taiwanese-American and eldest daughter of an immigrant family. After living across 11 countries as an international nomad over the last 18 months, she now lives on Ramaytush Ohlone land, currently known as the Bay Area in California.
Vice Chair, Co-Founder
Taj is a father, poet, strategist, designer, and philanthropic and capital advisor. He is the founder and current board president of MSC, founding partner at Full Spectrum Capital Partners, and co-founder of The Good Life Pledge. Taj thrives on connecting community and capital stewards to bring financial value into alignment with sacred values in ways that build community wealth. A graduate of Stanford University, Taj was a recipient of a Next Generation Leadership fellowship from the Rockefeller Foundation and was named a “Local Hero” by The San Francisco Bay Guardian. Taj and his family live in Oakland.
Board Treasurer
Sihle is chief financial officer at Tides Advocacy, and previously worked as finance director and interim deputy director of operations at MSC. With over 20 years of finance and operations experience, she is passionate about supporting highly impactful nonprofit infrastructure. Sihle currently serves as board treasurer for Urban Tilth, and has worked with the YMCA of San Diego County, the Garment Worker Center, and other grassroots organizations. A mother, consummate volunteer, and novice gardener, Sihle is dedicated to efficiency and accountability within social justice organizations. A California native, Sihle earned a degree in economics and accounting from Claremont McKenna College.
Board Member
Tomás, a social justice strategist, most recently served as national field director for Mijente, an independent political home for Chicanx/Latinx organizing. With over 20 years experience in political strategy and campaign development, Tomás has worked as a strategic advisor for 22 grassroots social justice organizations, four candidate campaigns, and five institutes and universities. His most formative experiences were time spent as co-director of the Southwest Organizing Project and organizer of the People’s Climate March. A Native New Mexican Chicano, Tomás was born and raised in Albuquerque. He currently lives in Brooklyn.
Board Member
Judith is a member of the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma and director of the Native Organizers Alliance, a national Native training and organizing network. She previously worked with MSC’s Transitions Lab. At the core of her work is the belief that organizing a grassroots, durable ecosystem of Native leaders and organizers — who share a common theory of change rooted in traditional values and sacred practices — is necessary to achieve tribal sovereignty and racial equity for all. Since 2016, she has worked collaboratively to assist Oceti Sakowin tribes in the Missouri River Basin in regaining co-management of the bioregion.
Board President
Anasa is a writer, producer, and entrepreneur who has dedicated her work to the importance of culture and the power of love. As CEO of Culture Shift Creative, Anasa works to build and execute strategies for artists and organizations aligned with her belief in creativity as a pathway to personal, community, and global transformation. Best known for her work as strategic advisor and executive producer for long time friend India.Arie, Anasa awakened to her life’s work during her time in Atlanta, Ga., attending Spelman College and founding Groovement/EarthSeed Music, a successful record label and collective of cutting edge, visionary musicians, performers, and writers.
Board Member
Jacqueline is founder and executive director of The Chisholm Legacy Project, a resource hub for Black frontline climate justice leadership. She spent time in Jamaica as a Peace Corps volunteer, worked as senior director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program, and is coordinator and co-founder of Women of Color United. Jacqui has worked as a researcher, program manager, coordinator, advocate, and activist for women‘s rights, HIV and AIDS, racial justice, economic justice, and environmental and climate justice. She currently serves as a member of the U.S. Social Forum’s international committee and the Interfaith Moral Action on Climate’s Steering Committee. Jacqui holds masters degrees in social work and public health from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University, respectively.
Board Member
Sandra has facilitated social change through public policy, community engagement, and education for over 25 years. She is associate dean of students and director of the Public Service Center at University of California, Berkeley; where she is on the boards of the Student Affairs Civic Engagement Advisory and the Chancellor’s Community Partnership Fund. Previously, Sandra worked for University of Maryland, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and Teach With Africa. She serves on the boards of Multiplying Good and East Point Peace Academy, among others. Sandra holds Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Berkeley. She is an avid traveler, voracious reader, and unapologetic tree hugger.
Communications Director
Frank is a social justice and sustainability-focused storyteller with over 15 years of experience in writing, visual storytelling, product design, and marketing strategy for lifestyle brands, publications, agencies, and nonprofits, including The Boston Globe, Tommy Hilfiger, Warby Parker, and Racked.com. Frank joined MSC in February 2021 and has a master’s degree in sustainability and social impact in business from Glasgow Caledonian New York College, and a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and journalism from Northeastern University. He lives at the Jersey Shore with his partner and three rescue dogs, and is passionate about community gardening, birding, cooking, and live music.
Innovation and Design Lead
Sophie is a design strategist, facilitator, and artist who works to transform challenges into opportunities for design and social innovation. Rooted in Buddhist practice and with over 20 years of experience in community empowerment, organizational development, and socially engaged performing and visual arts, Sophie has worked on projects with the United Nations and the Magnum Foundation, as well as an educational initiative for first-generation Chinese students. She joined MSC in February 2020 and has a master’s degree in transdisciplinary design from Parsons School of Design at The New School. She lives in Oakland and enjoys delicious meals, time with nature, and making art.
Director of Fiscal Sponsorship
Daniel Parada joined MSC in April 2021 with a background in operations, employee experience, and learning and development specialist. One of Daniel’s many social imperatives is to give voice to marginalized communities, leading him to help establish DEI, Pride+Allies, Embajadores Lingist@s, and Women in Culinary mentorship committees throughout his career. Daniel and his husband are proud owners of a home in East Oakland, where they play an active role in the neighborhood watch. Daniel loves working on construction projects at home, tending to his urban farm and chickens, and is always down for some good grub!
Financial and Accounting Services
Noble Accounting is a values-aligned firm providing six years of award-winning client services to local, state, and national nonprofit organizations. Founder Kevin Matthews has more than 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. With expertise, advanced technologies, and a highly personalized approach, Nobel Accounting serves as a fractional chief financial officer supporting MSC’s accounting functions. Noble Accounting is located in Torrance, Calif. Learn more about Noble Accounting.
MIIC Project Advisor
Ale is a social justice, mobilization, and fundraising professional with over 10 years of experience in organizing, storytelling, marketing, and development strategy for nonprofits and international organizations, including Save the Children, United Way for Greater Austin, and LifeWorks. Ale joined MSC in August 2022 and has a master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and a juris doctor from the University of Guanajuato. She lives in Austin, Tex., where she enjoys trying new restaurants and listening to live music with friends, and planning her next adventure somewhere in the world.
MIIC Project Advisor
Karmella has spent her professional career in Austin, Tex., working with local nonprofits, community stakeholders, and artists to curate shows, engage diverse audiences, and support the local cultural arts scene. Her expertise is in grant writing, multicultural programming, community outreach strategy, and actively cultivating partnerships that sustain our culture, our stories, and our future. With over a decade of experience in direct client services and program administration, her professional practice has exposed her to a wide range of responsibilities and individuals.
Director of Human Resources
Bridgette joined MSC with 28 years of human resources experience, including 23 years in healthcare, where she started as a coordinator and later became district director of human resources. Bridgette was born and raised in Fort Worth, Tex., where she was involved in community initiatives including the North Texas Food Bank, Cowtown Marathon, Texas Clean Up, and feeding the homeless. She loves walking; especially the annual 2.5 mile Opal Lee Walk. She enjoys family, praise dancing, learning sign language, and outdoor adventures — but what she holds most dear are her three daughters.
Board Member
Errika is the inaugural executive director of the STEM Funders Network (SFN), a fiscally sponsored project of MSC. She previously worked as senior program officer at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, leading a team focused on equity in education and workforce development for over 900,000 students. Other past roles include positions at Technology Association of Georgia Education Collaborative, IT Senior Management Forum, The Gifted Education Foundation, Southwire, BMC Software, and IBM. Errika serves on numerous boards and committees, including the National Million Women Mentors initiative, Project Scientist, Sankofa Montessori, and the National STEM Honor Society. Among her many honors, Errika was named Outstanding Georgia Citizen by the secretary of state, Woman of the Year by Atlanta’s Women in Technology, and was one of Inspire Magazine’s Top 40 Inspirers in America.
Executive Assistant & Board Liaison
Sally joined MSC in 2023 with over 20 years of executive administrative experience across corporate, startup, and nonprofit organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and began her career at the Denver Rescue Mission. Sally was raised in Denver, Colo., with her three siblings and a yard full of chickens, rabbits, dogs, and cats. Over the years, she has volunteered with animals, senior citizens, elementary school children, and at various programs for the unhoused. Now based in Los Angeles, Calif., her passions are animals (especially her own furry, four-legged children), international travel, live music, exploring, art, and daily walks with her pups.
Senior Grantmaking Program Manager
Anastasia is a passionate social, justice, economic, and environmental equity leader with over a decade of experience across philanthropy and nonprofits, including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Roberts Enterprise Development Fund, and Teach For America. She is a race, justice, and equity coach with experience developing national programs in support of social impact leaders and organizations. Anastasia holds a master’s degree from the Quantic School of Business and Technology and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, where she focused on structures of opportunity and inequality. She lives in the Bay Area and loves catching up with her siblings, listening to SOCA music, and enjoying outdoor adventures with her pup.
Payroll Manager
Roberta has over 18 years of experience in payroll and human resources, most recently spending over five years as regional director of payroll for a national insurance brokerage. Roberta was born and raised in Portland, Ore., and now resides in Aberdeen, Wash. She has a bachelor’s degree in computer science, with a double minors in dance and anthropology. Roberta’s passion for volunteering began in an elementary school, where she assisted students with reading. Since then, her volunteer work has spanned outdoor education, student advocacy, the Oregon Cystic Fibrosis foundation, United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), and — her favorite — the Time Travelers Costume Guild. Roberta loves travel, hiking, her family, cooking, and attending costumed events with her husband.
Director of Community Fund Design
Steph’s work is rooted in mobilizing resources to grassroots and frontline communities. A Bay Area native, Steph joined MSC to lead collaborative fund design, building on her interest in advancing solutions that redistribute wealth and resources, democratize power, and hold love as a central practice. Previously, she led two of the nation’s first guaranteed income pilots for artists, managed a national artist-led giving circle, organized the funding strategy for a $30 million national environmental justice initiative, and supported a startup accelerator program in rural Oregon. She has worked with organizations across the arts, social justice, and economic sectors, including Allied Media Projects, Levi Strauss & Co., Afrotectopia, StartOut, and the Yerba Buena Center for Arts. Steph is also a practicing ceramicist.
Operations Specialist
Shannon is a creative systems thinker and operations-focused professional who has worked in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years. Her commitment to social justice is exemplified by her background in creating and providing the robust support and infrastructure that is crucial to movement work and allowing movement leaders to focus on what is most important. Shannon lives in Oakland and loves her Bay Area community. She enjoys spending time with loved ones and animal friends, making art, sewing, listening to music, dancing, adventuring along the coastline, hanging at the river, and wandering the forests.
Director of Individual Giving
Simone has spent her professional career in a variety of leadership roles in global corporations, marketing and professional learning consultancies, higher education, and nonprofits. Prior to joining MSC, she served as national director of philanthropy for Children’s Literacy Initiative. Simone is passionate about social justice and holds a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy credential, reflecting her deep knowledge and experience in working with individuals and families to align their charitable giving strategies with their passions and opportunities for impact, transformation, and joy. Born in Jamaica, Simone now lives in South Florida and enjoys travel, music, new wine and food experiences, walking with her dog, and Sunday dinners with her family.
Development Assistant
Liyen is a culture bearer and movement builder with a deep desire to bring awareness of decolonial, liberatory, and trauma-informed frameworks to shift power. She is a proven community organizer who has built broad-based coalitions centering the interests of BIPOC and historically marginalized communities. She is an organizer for More Than Grant Writers, Arts Accountability Houston, and Community-Centric Fundraising’s Texas Chapter. As an artist, she is passionate about equitable community access to the arts in conjunction with a whole, fulfilling life of agency. Liyen was born and raised in South East Asia and spent time in New Zealand before moving to the U.S. She loves cats, local city and state politics, and of course, anything art or craft-related.
Administrative Assistant
Deanna, who has over 20 years experience as an administrative professional for various nonprofit organizations, is proud to call the Bay Area home. Her journey includes involvement in local activism such as the Oscar Grant movement, where she honed her skills in organization and community advocacy. Currently pursuing studies in Chinese medicine in Berkeley, Calif., Deanna is passionate about expanding access to natural holistic medicine for communities facing barriers. Beyond her work, she cherishes time with her daughter and loved ones, and savoring moments filled with music, good food, and new experiences.
MIIC Project Advisor
AJ joined MSC in July 2024, having spent over 10 years as a movement builder and organizer, and six years supporting fiscally sponsored projects. He previously worked as co-director of people and organizing at Durham Beyond Policing, co-director of financial operations with Southern Vision Alliance, and served on the board for Cypress Fund. AJ spent two terms on a participatory budgeting committee for the city of Durham, N.C., where he ran for city council in 2021. AJ holds a nonprofit accounting professional designation from Fiscal Management Associates, and a certificate in social sector leadership from the University of California, Berkeley-Hass and Philanthropy U. He lives in Durham and loves nerding out on personal research projects, thrifting for used books, and creating experimental electronic music.
Federal Contracts & Grants Compliance Manager
Wendi leverages her deep curiosity about grants and contracts to create management tools, training programs, and policies that ensure robust internal control systems and compliance with evolving funder regulations. With over 25 years of hands-on experience as both a grantor and grantee, she excels as a grant writer and manager. Wendi also spearheads projects aimed at capacity building through external funding. She is an active committee member of the National Grants Management Association, and serves on the advisory board for Thompson Grants.
Board Member
Aisha is artistic director of Intelligent Mischief, a multi-disciplinary creative studio that unleashes the power of Black radical imagination to shape the future. Originally from Trinidad & Tobago, she is an anti-disciplinary artist, world builder, designer, and cultural strategist. Her written work has been published in Black Discourse and Grantmakers In the Arts. Her collage work has been commissioned by the Movement for Black Lives, Root. Rise. Pollinate!, and Creative Wildfire, and licensed by Nonprofit Quarterly and the Center for Third World Organizing. Aisha has a bachelor’s degree in environmental analysis and policy, a Master of Social Work in Social Innovation, and a Master of Business Administration in Social Entrepreneurship. She has been a community organizer at the Muslim American Society Boston Chapter and Close To Home, a domestic violence prevention agency. She loves sewing, cooking, and bike riding.
Program Contracts & Grants Compliance Manager
Tamika is known for building strong relationships with funders and stakeholders, facilitating cross-functional collaboration, and fostering a mutual understanding of programmatic goals. With over a decade of experience, her analytical skills and attention to detail enable her to exercise financial accountability, maintain audit readiness, provide guidance and assistance throughout project implementation, and take life cycle ownership of complex, multi-year projects. She specializes in administering grantmaking programs and in managing grants and contracts for organizations across various sectors. She has considerable experience with private and public awards, specifically the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, National Institutes of Health, and the U.S. Department of Justice. In her free time, Tamika enjoys learning from the complexity and peace of nature, and checking the boxes on her professional development checklist. Tamika is based in Philadelphia.
Communications Generalist
Allison joined MSC as a Communications Generalist in September 2024 after over a decade in public education. She is passionate about educational equity, strengthening mental health supports in schools, and ensuring all children see themselves represented positively in literature/media. Allison has an English degree from Northeastern University and a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Bridgewater State University. Her work history includes The Boston Globe, where she embraced her love of writing, editing, and researching. She is interested in environmental sustainability and loves combing through estate sales, flea markets, and antique stores to give pre-loved treasures new life. She enjoys tackling her never-ending “to be read” book list and considers herself one of Bruce Springsteen’s biggest fans.
Chief People & Culture Officer
Matthew’s professional journey has traversed diverse industries including SaaS, commercial construction, healthcare, and governmental advocacy, giving him a comprehensive understanding of multifaceted organizational landscapes. He is passionate about catalyzing organizational excellence and fostering environments where employees can achieve heightened productivity, engagement, and overall organizational success in a vibrant and inclusive workplace culture. Matthew has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialized focus on Human Resources Management and Organizational Development and a Master’s in Leadership and Management. Over the course of his 30-year career, he has transitioned through various domains, from Operations Management to Human Resources.
Administrative fees from your MSC DAF are reinvested to support MSC’s critical movement building work, rather than corporate profits. By putting your capital in an MSC DAF, you are also funding a BIPOC-led and community-accountable organization.
MSC utilizes Ren Inc., a trusted DAF technology provider, to administer our donor advised funds. Ren Inc.’s platform offers you 24-seven access to fund information and the ease of requesting distributions online. Ren Inc. charges a small fee for administration, which is integrated into the overall fees.
The fees also include an allocation of an amount equivalent to one percent (1%) of the value of the DAF assets to MSC’s general fund to support MSC’s vital charitable and social change work.
For more information on fees click here.
Through our partnerships with leading organizations, MSC connects your passions and insights with cutting edge solutions that harmonize social and environmental impact with financial growth to align all of your resources with impact. Our partners — Full Spectrum Advisors and Adasina Social Capital — help us steward public and private market investments within our DAF ecosystem. MSC’s DAF program gives you the ability to combine impact investing in both private and public markets, aligned with your traditional grantmaking.
Our partners can support you in creating Community Wealth Private Investment Portfolios, magnifying the impact of DAF resources on community development and social justice, and investing in Adasina’s Social Justice Public Markets Portfolios that bring strong returns to the DAF portfolio while shifting our economy towards a more just future. With an MSC DAF, our partners can help you to craft comprehensive personalized capital strategies, helping you advance a full spectrum capital approach to impact through options as varied as grants, recoverable grants, loans, guarantees, and equity investments.
Join Us!
If you are interested in leveraging your resources for deeper, lasting impact, an MSC DAF is your philanthropic tool to drive change. Reach out to Simone Champagnie, Director, Individual Giving, at [email protected], to learn more about the DAF program and explore partnership opportunities.
Project Accountant
Jamillah is a project advisor with over 15 years of experience in financial reporting, budgeting, strategic planning, and team building. She has worked in various industries including public relations, internet technology, banking, and government contracting, including with MS&L Worldwide and JP Morgan Chase & Co. Jamillah has been with MSC since April 2021 and has a Bachelor’s in Accounting from Morgan State University. She lives in New Jersey with her two children and enjoys sewing, word games, music, DIY projects, and spending time with her family and friends.
People Operations Manager
Tiffany, who joined MSC in September of 2023, is a Texas native with an extensive background in human resources and people operations. Her expertise ranges from ensuring positive first experiences, developing programs that enhance employee skills and competencies, shaping organizational culture, and driving progress, all through a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion to support growth and success. Tiffany’s commitment to helping others realize their potential shines through in all aspects of her work and impacts the lives of colleagues she’s worked with all over the globe. Tiffany is based in Fort Worth and enjoys volunteering in her community.
Communications Manager
Lidia is a fierce advocate for economic and racial equity, with over ten years of communications and operations experience in the private and nonprofit sectors including at Tommy Hilfiger, Custom Collaborative, and Ms. Foundation for Women. Lidia has led grassroots, multinational campaigns to abolish ICE, support immigrants, and uphold reproductive rights. Lidia joined MSC in September 2021 and has a Master’s in Risk, Resilience, and Integrity Management from Glasgow Caledonian New York College. She was born and raised in East Los Angeles and now lives in Brooklyn with her pup, Mija. She enjoys boxing, dancing, and reading.
Chief Operating Officer
Yasmine has spent over 20 years focused on closing the opportunity divide through her education reform, talent development, and organizational equity and inclusion work; with an emphasis on underrepresented communities. She has built a robust career enabling and advocating for racial equity and social justice across all sectors, and founded YJL Unconquered Group, a talent, equity, and inclusion consulting practice. Her background encompasses human resources functions, organizational infrastructure, capacity building, and managing equity and advocacy programs. Yasmine has an MBA from Simmons College, a Master’s in Human Services from Springfield College, and dual BAs in Multinational Business Operations and International Affairs from Florida State University.
Environmental Justice Fellow
Walter is an architectural designer and urbanist born and raised in inner-city Akron. As a youth, his interest in redefining the built environment of his hometown led him to architecture and urban planning. He has a Bachelor’s in Architecture from Kent State University, is involved in the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA), and recently earned a Master’s in Architecture from the University of Michigan. Walter is interested in community engagement and public interest design and has been involved in a wide range of projects spanning from mentorship and community programming to building design. In his free time, he enjoys making music, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
Senior Director of Advancement
Kathy leads MSC’s community investment initiatives, philanthropic services, and equitable intermediary regranting partnerships and collaborates on fundraising and donor engagement. She joined MSC in 2022 with three decades of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector addressing gender-based violence, immigration advocacy, racial and economic justice, and criminal legal reform. Previously, Kathy worked at the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence. She has a Master’s from Portland State University. She’s from Portland but considers the Bay Area her second home, and she loves food and wine, hiking, reading, scuba diving, zydeco dancing, and the Golden State Warriors.
HR Generalist
Michael, who joined MSC in 2022, is a human resources professional who served in the U.S. Coastguard for five years and grew up in Livermore. He has a degree in Illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Michael has two teenage children, a son and a daughter, that he loves spending time with. Music is one of Michael’s passions — including hip hop, EDM, jazz, and classic rock; he also loves art, film, fashion, cars and driving, and streetwear and sneaker culture. A desert lover, Michael hopes to move to Palm Springs one day.
Operations Assistant
DiMarco joined MSC in November 2022 with experience in administration and operations. He attended City College of San Francisco (CCSF) with a major in Computer Science and a focus in Computer Networking and Information Technology (CNIT). Born and raised in San Francisco, DiMarco has lived in Honolulu and other parts of California, including Los Angeles. A true animal lover, DiMarco’s family has a couple of farm animals — Ziggy the goat and Henry the silky chicken, three large breed dogs — Nala, Bella, and Remy, plus Lipchap the chihuahua, and Xochi, a beloved cat. For fun, he loves cooking and international travel.
Chief Fiscal Sponsorship Program Officer
Jonathan is a career nonprofit professional with over 15 years of experience. Prior to joining MSC, Jonathan was a donor relations officer with the Austin Community Foundation where he managed the foundation’s corporate, scholarship, fiscal sponsorship, and special project funds. In addition, Jonathan serves as a board member for Fruitful Commons, the Festival Beach Food Forest, and Austin Youth River Watch; and represents District 3 of Austin’s Zero Waste Advisory Commission. Jonathan has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida. He is committed to environmental justice, sustainability, and building a better tomorrow; and for fun Jonathan enjoys gardening, traveling, and going to Austin FC soccer games.
Director of Institutional Giving
Marcus is an anti-racist fundraising professional with over ten years of experience in the social sector in Texas and with nationally-based organizations like New Leaders, Teaching Trust, and Reasoning Mind. He is also an organizer for the Community-Centric Fundraising movement, working to transform philanthropy and center the practice in race, equity, and justice. Marcus is a native of Dallas, TX, and has a Bachelor’s in management from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He currently lives in El Paso, TX, with his partner, two cats, and one dog. In his free time, he enjoys watching, playing, and arguing about basketball, and attending pro wrestling events.
Co-Chief Financial Officer
Aileen is an experienced CPA with over 25 years of expertise in finance, audit, and accounting. She is also a certified government finance manager who is knowledgeable on single audit requirements, the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), time studies, and financial reporting. Aileen joined Noble Accounting, LLC. in June 2021. Previously, Aileen held positions at government, nonprofit, and entertainment organizations as chief financial officer, controller, and director of corporate accounting, handling budgets of up to $50 million annually. Having spent a good deal of time administering various finance, budget, and accounting projects, Aileen takes pride in providing financial leadership to various organizations.
Payroll Specialist
Rebekah started working in human resources and payroll over ten years ago, and has worked for both large corporations and small, mom and pop companies. She is originally from Texas, where she grew up in a conservative town and served as a praise and worship leader in her church; but she and her husband David moved to the Bay Area after he finished his service in the Air Force. Rebekah is the youngest of four siblings, and she is extremely close to all of them. Faith and family (she has a daughter) are priorities in her life; and music is her passion — she has performed in bands and choirs and sung in Spanish, French, Latin, and Chinese. She also loves to cook and is an avid runner, completing half marathons, 10Ks and 5Ks.
Human Resources Generalist
Yesenia has been working as a human resources professional since 2018. She joined MSC in the spring of 2022, and it’s her first time working at a nonprofit. Yesenia graduated from California State University, East Bay with a BS in Business Administration and an emphasis in Human Resources; and she is currently working on her MBA there as well. For fun she enjoys spending time with family and friends; live sporting events — specifically the San Francisco 49ers; hikes with great views; and especially traveling to new places and trying new foods.
Director of Programs
As the director of programs for Climate Innovation, Jaime provides leadership, strategy, and support to Climate Innovation programs that advance approaches to community-driven planning and movement building, while centering on racial equity and whole-systems solutions.
Jaime has over 20 years of experience in a variety of spaces including public health, philanthropy, and climate resilience, with a deep focus on racial justice and health equity. Her work in the public health sector cultivated opportunities for direct community organizing and advocacy work in communities with disproportionate health impacts and enhanced her leadership in philanthropy and the nonprofit sectors around racial equity and climate justice. Her expertise ranges from program development, leadership, equity, and policy advocacy, to communications and outreach. Jaime is a 2016 Professionals Learning About Community, Equity, and Smart Growth (PLACES) fellow, and has participated in multiple leadership programs including Rockwood Leadership Institute and Interaction Institute for Social Change.
Jaime is currently on the board of the Blue Ash YMCA, Co-op Cincy, and Green Umbrella locally. Nationally, she sits on the PLACES Advisory Committee and the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) Policy Committee. She holds a master’s from the University of Cincinnati in Health Promotion and a bachelor’s from Central Michigan University. Love for family and community is what drives Jaime’s ongoing work for racial justice.
Board Member
Venita is the co-executive director of the Positive Women’s Network-USA. She was instrumental in defeating a statewide effort allowing the subpoena of HIV test results in criminal cases, and spearheaded a 2016 effort to end HIV in Houston while drafting the Roadmap to Ending the HIV Epidemic. Venita is a policy advocate, speaker, and strategist for issues impacting those living with HIV. Born in Houston and raised in San Diego, she attended San Diego State University and American University’s Washington College of Law. She was diagnosed with HIV in 2003 while serving as an Assistant Attorney General in Washington, D.C. Venita is committed to equity, racial justice, and developing meaningful involvement among people living with HIV.
Chief of Staff
Victoria, a senior executive administrator for over 15 years, comes with experience in operations, human resources, compliance, and marketing for organizations including Mom’s Project, Uber, Paul Blanco Good Car Company, Square Peg Design, and Tavistock Group, Clorox. She joined MSC in March 2021. Victoria resides in Oakland, where she was born and raised. As much as she loves cooking and afternoons enjoying her new found love of gardening, there is nothing she is more passionate about than being a mother to her six children.
Co-CFO, Noble Accounting, LLC
Menchu is a seasoned accounting and auditing professional with over 25 years of experience in private, government, and nonprofit sectors overseeing compliance, payroll, bookkeeping, audits, grants management, financial reporting, budgeting, implementing internal controls, and developing process efficiencies. Menchu joined MSC in June 2020 and has performed outsourced accounting and finance work for nonprofit organizations in health services, education, social services, arts, and culture. Menchu graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Santo Tomas and holds a CPA license in California. She loves traveling, hiking, and cooking, and also picked up the hobby of DIY crafting during the pandemic.
Learn more about Noble Accounting, LLC.
Pandora Thomas is a passionate global citizen who works as a caregiver, teacher, writer, designer and speaker. Her work emphasizes the benefits of applying ecological principles to social design.
As a presenter both domestically and internationally, she has given keynotes and lectures on topics ranging from designing mutually beneficially diversity strategies, collaborative design, social justice, youth and women’s leadership, social entrepreneurship, permaculture and sustainability. She has designed curriculum for and taught groups all over the world as diverse as Iraqi and Indonesian youth to men serving in San Quentin and men and women returning home from incarceration.
Pandora’s most recent passions include being a carepartner for her mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimers, co-founding the Black Permaculture Network, working for 6 years with Toyota to design and serving as a coalition member of the Toyota Green Initiative, which supported African Americans in understanding the benefits of adopting sustainable lifestyles; co-designing, teaching with and directing Pathways to Resilience-a permaculture and social entrepreneur training program that worked with men and women returning home after incarceration, and working with the Urban Permaculture Institute in Marin City supporting a People’s Planning Process, which supports community members to assess and design strategies for their own resilience.
She has just been awarded a fellowship with the Movement Strategy Centers National Association of Climate Resiliency Planners. Her fellowship is focused on supporting Community Driven Resiliency Planning.
Thomas has studied four languages and lived and worked in over twelve countries and her other achievements include being featured in the films The Future of Energy and Inhabit, presenting at Tedx Denver and SF, and being awarded internships and fellowships to the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University, Green For All, the Bronx Zoo and the Applied Research Center.
Her writing includes a children’s book, various curricula and a manual entitled “Shades of Green” for individuals wanting to teach green building to youth. Pandora studied at Columbia and Tufts University and with several permaculture and ecological design programs.
When she is not working you can find her spending time with her beloved mother and cats or in the redwoods.
Director of Operations
Tamira is the Director of Operations, operationalizing program vision and managing the related administrative infrastructure of Climate Innovation. Bringing a strong systems background to the role, Tamira leads on designing and implementing processes to strengthen the program vision and capacity.
A native of Northern California, Tamira spent her childhood running through the redwoods and making mischief. For the last 20 years, Tamira has been working within the environmental nonprofit sector, both in the U.S. and abroad. She most recently led the fiscal sponsorship program at Earth Island Institute for 7 years, supporting the amazing project advisory team and its 80 projects. As the Program Manager, Tamira designed and implemented administrative systems in support of frontline activists and initiatives working to protect people and the planet. Tamira spent the past three years developing capacity-building training and collaborative learning tools in order to seed a community of practice within her activist network.
Tamira previously worked for TransForm, a sustainable transportation and land use advocate, coordinating a pilot program to promote multi-model transportation throughout the Bay Area. Tamira also spent three years planning the largest section of the California Coastal Trail through Mendocino County, resulting in permanent public access to the coastline and protection of critical habitat. In addition, Tamira lived and worked throughout the Caribbean, where she studied coastal ecology, conducted coral reef and marine protected area monitoring, and developed the first place-based environmental curriculum for Jamaica.
Tamira draws on her experience working with nonprofits of all sizes and missions in order to improve, evolve, and experiment with systems and structures that are solution-focused. Much of the last decade of her professional life has been coaching grassroots activists through the founding, scaling, and stabilizing phases of organizational development. She loves putting wings on visionary ideas to see them take flight. She holds a Masters of Arts in Community and Environmental Studies and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management.
Movement Strategy Center’s Transitions Initiative Program Assistant
In addition to being Movement Strategy Center’s Transitions Initiative Program Assistant, Bianca is the owner and founder of a growing jewelry shop called Bianquis’ Designs in which she creates commemorative vessels to her matriarchal ancestors and the women in her family. She bridges past, present, and future as she honors their stories, sacrifices, and celebrates their resiliency through her craft. You might find her selling jewelry at Lake Merritt, outdoor markets, or at art galleries across the Bay Area. The East Bay is very dear to her, because not only is she from here, but her life has been surrounded by the beautifully diverse, community-driven movements that have manifested ground-breaking outcomes. Much of her family was involved in the movimiento during the seventies and eighties across the Bay Area, largely in labor union organizing across Oakland, Stanford, and in the Central Valley. Duty to community service and breaking institutional barriers run through her veins.
Prior to joining MSC, Bianca was on two fund development teams at Girl Scouts of Northern California and Hispanics in Philanthropy, from which she brings ample event planning and fundraising experience. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in the Humanities from San Francisco State University. A current goal of hers is to invest in opening/holding two equitable spaces for entrepreneurs and artists of color, situated in the East Bay and in Mexico. Bianca’s hope is to rid the fear of displacement and to welcome artists to comfortably create and flourish in these spaces.
Learning & Data Systems Manager
In her role as Learning & Data Systems Manager, Sarah seeks to support a culture of learning; connect data and insights with decision-making; and support the strategic learning and evaluation needs for the Transitions Initiative through developmental evaluation for social innovation. Sarah hopes to shift away from extractive ways of traditional evaluation toward learning that embodies and supports regeneration, resilience, and interdependence.
Sarah has 5 years of experience in event production and management, database management, and administrative management. Supporting the ecosystem in this way, she experiences joy in knowing that her work is part of a greater purpose and vision. Prior to working at MSC, Sarah worked as a fast food worker. In those difficult two years, Sarah learned the value of herself and the importance of seeing the humanity of others.
In 2012, Sarah became the first in her family to graduate college. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political, Legal, & Economic Analysis with an emphasis in Economic Analysis and a minor in Environmental Studies from Mills College.
In recent years, Sarah’s (dis)connection with her heritage has been given strength and love by the Seven Generations and Forward Stance work at MSC. As a 4th generation Mexican-American, her people are forgotten in memory but remembered in her body. Her ancestors come from León, Guanajuato; Phoenix, Arizona; El Paso, Texas; & Pomona, California. Sarah lives in her breath; which lives in her body; which lives in Oakland, CA – with her partner Efren.
Climate Innovation Program Manager
As the Climate Innovation Program Manager, Michelle helps MSC to transform our larger cultural, political and physical infrastructure in ways that enhance health, the environment, social justice, culture, and beauty.
Michelle brings over 20 years of experience uniting the fields of sustainability, justice, culture, nature, and art. Michelle comes to MSC from University of Colorado Boulder’s Environmental Center where she was the Assistant Director for Energy and Climate Justice. There she managed student and staff-run programming, founded the “FLOWS” program, advocated for equitable policies and engagement within the climate sphere and with local governments, co-founded the Just Transition Collaborative, and taught permaculture design. She is a former US State Department BoldFood fellow (Uganda) focused on sustainable urban agriculture, and served as a delegate for the Colorado River in San Luis del Rio Colorado, Mexico. She is the founder of Candelas Glows, raising awareness about the dangers of Rocky Flats—a local nuclear superfund site turned “wildlife refuge.”
Michelle serves on the leadership council for Frontline Farming, a food justice organization in Denver, CO. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology (with additional concentrations in International Development and Urban Studies) from Colorado College. Seeking eco-cultural regeneration, she is a facilitator and alternative educator, project instigator, multi-ethnic poet, wife, and mother of three.
Director of Climate Innovation
As the Director of Climate Innovation, Corrine leads the vision and strategy for MSC’s climate innovation and governance portfolios, bringing a lens of racial equity and transformative movement building. Corrine convenes and cultivates creative leadership within climate justice and deep democracy ecosystems toward a shared vision for a Just Transition to a world of interdependence, resilience, and regeneration.
Corrine’s 15+ years of experience are deeply immersed in movements for social, economic, and racial equity. As a former IDEAL Scholar (Initiative for Diversity in Education and Leadership), she witnessed and continues to nurture the compelling impact of investing in youth and disenfranchised communities of color so that leadership reflects the diversity it seeks to serve. Since then she has continued to develop her leadership working with the Rockwood Leadership Institute, Greater New Beginnings Youth Services, Oakland Climate Action Coalition, and contracting with various organizations. Corrine was the former Co-Director of Rooted in Resilience (formerly Bay Localize) where she led organizational management, development, communications, and outreach.
She currently serves on the steering committee of the California Trade Justice Coalition, Oakland Climate Action Coalition and the Resilient Oakland Initiative. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Family is what drives Corrine’s commitment to justice and thriving communities.
People Operations Coordinator
Yvette is a human resources coordinator with over 20 years of customer service experience. Yvette has been with MSC since April 2019, graduated from California State University, East Bay with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies, and has an aPHR certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute. She grew up in Oakland and currently resides in Stockton with Kobe, her teacup Yorkie. In her spare time, she enjoys shopping, watching her favorite TV programs, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Grants and Contract Senior Coordinator
Kristy is a social worker with ten years of experience in community education and outreach. She interned with UN Women, Asia Pacific Region and went on to work with women-led organizations including the Women’s Health Specialists of Northern California. For the last three years, she managed a capital campaign to raise funds to build a regional animal shelter and disaster evacuation center in Butte County, California — home of the historic 2018 Camp Fire. Kristy has worked with MSC since 2014 and is pursuing professional education at UC San Diego and Portland State University in the field of project management and grant writing. She is also a yoga teacher and is passionate about bridging the practice with social justice work. Kristy loves water, cats, coffee, and is a dedicated dancer.
Compliance Manager
Marie-Louise is a first-generation American with over 18 years of experience in operations, human resources, and compliance for organizations including CBRE, Grubb and Ellis, and Metropole Staffing. Marie-Louise joined MSC in September 2018 and has a Bachelor’s in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University. She lives in Playa del Rey with her two rambunctious Boston terriers, six fish, and three aquatic frogs. Marie-Louise loves to spend her free time baking, arranging flowers, traveling, and crafting.
Administrative Operations Manager
Ginger joined MSC in April 2020 and brings with her over 20 years of administrative experience. She has held many office support roles in various industries. Her goal is to incorporate the wealth of administrative knowledge and customer service that she has acquired to equip the MSC team to best serve the community. Ginger is very passionate about nonprofit work and doing her part to contribute to the greater good. The Bay Area has been home to Ginger for her entire life; she currently resides in El Cerrito with her two sons. In her spare time, she enjoys hanging out with her village, planning events, and watching true crime documentaries.