Community Chronicles: Stories of Solidarity, Spring 2024

Movement Strategy Center Highlights Milestones, Stories, and Achievements from the Ecosystem Community Chronicles is a seasonal shout-out to our ecosystem partners and their incredible achievements. Read on for some of the ways our ever-growing list of over 150 community-led and centered partners — including Fiscally Sponsored Projects (FSPs), the Movement…

Movement Strategy Center DAF with blocks spelling the word DAF (Abbreviation of Donor Advised Fund)

MSC Launches a Donor Advised Fund Program

New Program Gives Donors a Chance to be a Part of Their Own Impact Investing StoryIn late 2023, MSC launched the Movement Strategy Center Donor Advised Fund (DAF) program, allowing individuals, families, companies, private foundations, trusts, and other nonprofits to invest their assets toward building community wealth and power for leaders on the frontlines of…

Jacqui Patterson Named a Time Woman of the Year

2024 Time Woman of the Year, Earth Award Recipient, and MSC Board MemberWe’re thrilled to celebrate Movement Strategy Center (MSC) Board Member Jacqui Patterson being chosen as one of 12 2024 Time Women of the Year! Patterson’s Woman of the Year profile lifts up her interconnected approach to environmental justice, poverty, racial discrimination, and gender…

Language Matters: MSC Unveils Updated Glossary and Terms

A Collaborative Refresh Informed by Community Feedback — Explore the GuideAt Movement Strategy Center, our dedication to language as a transformative tool recently inspired a significant update to our Glossary and Terms to Avoid webpage — an in depth resource for definitions and terms to avoid within the Transformative Movement Building space. This inspiration…

Addressing and Accepting Conflict for Stronger Movements

MSC on Essential Mindset Shifts for Stronger MovementsWhat do you think of when you hear the word conflict? Maybe it’s that tense moment in a scary movie — spooky music and squeaking doors. Maybe it’s on the news — clashing heads of state and political unrest. Or, maybe it’s the shocking twist in that prestige drama you’re watching. Conflict is everywhere —…

Building Bridges Beyond Banned Books

Movement Strategy Center Dives into Consciousness-Raising ReadsAs the political climate around libraries and books becomes more contentious — a school district in North Florida banned nearly 2,000 books, including the dictionary — it’s crucial to remember the importance of diverse and impactful literature. Last year, during Banned Book Week, Read a Book…

Announcing Our Website’s New Landing Page: Why MSC?

Over a Year in the Making, Our New Landing Page is Also Our New DEI PageBack in 2022, Carla Dartis, MSC’s Executive Director, asked us to consider adding a DEI page to MSC’s website. Honestly, we — MSC’s small Communications Team — were taken aback by the request. DEI, or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, “encompasses the symbiotic relationship, philosophy and…

Ten More Years of Healing

Healing Clinic Collective Shares Their Vision for the Next Decade of HealingThe communal spirit soared high at Humanist Hall on October 14, 2023, celebrating the decade-long journey of the Healing Clinic Collective (HCC). Dozens of folks came out to partake in the music, love, and laughter that — along with incense of copal and tobacco — infused the air at a…

Twenty three people wearing blue shirts smile for a group photo in three separate rows. A wall full of framed posters and activist art is behind them.

MSC’s First All Staff Retreat Builds Culture and Relationships

Movement Strategy Center’s Staff Convened in MSC’s Oakland Office for Norm-Setting, Culture-Building, and CommunityIt was a beautiful Wednesday morning in the Bay Area as MSC staffers made their way to MSC’s new, sun-filled downtown Oakland office. Tired from their travels the day before, they hugged, shared breakfast, and enjoyed each other’s company face…

BBQs, Barbers, & Beyond: After Incarceration’s Impact in Albany

Charting the Journey from Personal Transformation to Community SolidarityNavigating the path back into society after incarceration is a daunting task, made more challenging when coupled with the hardships of homelessness. Both reentry and homelessness, although different experiences, can lead to feelings of being undervalued or overlooked. This shared struggle…