5x5: Black-led Organizing

5X5 DOCKET

Black-led Organizing Summer 2025 5 Years Since the 2020 Uprising

Black-led Organizing 5 Years Since the 2020 Uprising The unjust and tragic murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis in 2020 ignited a national reckoning, sparking uprisings that demanded justice, accountability, and systemic change.

In Los Angeles, streets filled with protestors calling for racial justice, highlighting both local and national calls for systemic change and reform. Many foundations pledged resources to fund Black-led organizing–but 5 years later, their commitments have not fulfilled those promises.

Five years later, the fight for racial justice continues, and Black-led and Black-lifting organizations remain at the forefront of this work. In this docket, we highlight five such organizations, building power and pursuing community wellbeing,

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Black Equity Collective | Kaci Patterson (she/her) Founded in 2021, Black Equity Collective (BEC) is California’s first Black community foundation and the largest pooled fund in the U.S. dedicated to Black-serving organizations. Through grants, leadership development, and capacity building, BEC strengthens Black-led nonprofits across Southern California. BEC provides the “Principles for Black Equity” to guide philanthropic investments and in 2025 released the Strengthening California’s Economy & Community Services Survey. BEC also runs Funders Learning Labs, which have become instrumental in transforming the relationship between philanthropy and Black community organizations, fostering long-term sustainability for Black-led initiatives.

Black Women for Wellness | Janette Robinson Flint (she/her) Black Women for Wellness is a reproductive and environmental justice organization committed to advancing the health and well-being of Black women and girls through education, empowerment, and advocacy. They provide joyful, culturally-rooted, intergenerational health education, wellness programs, and policy advocacy to address health disparities and promote social justice. In 2025, the organization and BWW Action Project co-sponsored state legislation on perinatal mental wellness, federal legislation on eliminating toxins from beauty products, and joined the negotiations in Geneva for the Global Plastic Treaty Negotiation. Black Women for Wellness is steering committee member of the Stand Against Neighborhood Oil Drilling coalition, a founder of the California Future of Abortion Council, and led the groundbreaking Centering Black Mothers in California report.

Los Angeles Black Worker Center | JB Jenkins (they/them) & La Tonya Harris (she/her) In Los Angeles, Black community members constitute less than 9% of the population but 35% of the low-wage workforce. The LA Black Worker Center (LABWC) focuses on increasing access to quality jobs, reducing employment discrimination, and improving industries that employ Black workers through action and unionization. LABWC works to build power, transform systems where racism is embedded, shift narratives to center voices of Black workers, advocate for policies that ensure equitable access to fair employment and stronger labor protections, and create opportunities for racial equity in recruitment, hiring, and retention. Its Stewards Council is a peer-to-peer program where Black workers develop the skills and knowledge to address workplace issues confidently: wage theft, discrimination/racism/anti-Blackness, workplace rights, safe work environments, and health and wellbeing.

Positive Results Center | Kandee Lewis (she/her) Page | 2

The Positive Results Center (PRC) is a Black-led nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and ending trauma from domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault. They conduct workshops, provide resources, and engage in community outreach to address trauma and promote healthy relationships. Their Youth Mental Health Ambassador program organizes Black and Brown youth (ages 18-27) through peer-led workshops, mindfulness practices, and trauma-informed education. In 2024, PRC served over 2,500+ community members through 41 workshops and podcasts. In 2025, they celebrated Mental Health Month by showcasing youth-led initiatives on platforms like the Jennifer Hudson Show. PCR’s work extends to training local law enforcement and community organizations, and facilitating partnerships with schools and businesses to support youth well-being. Annual events like the Black and Latino Solidarity Dinner and Peace Circle foster unity and healing.

Students Deserve | Joseph Williams (he/him) Students Deserve is a grassroots coalition of students, parents, and teachers advocating for racial justice in education, primarily within Los Angeles. They have been instrumental in pushing for the creation and expansion of the Black Student Achievement Plan, securing $95M in LAUSD annually to support Black students. Their advocacy has driven significant policy changes, including the divestment of $25M from LA school police to reinvest in support services for Black students. Their work has become a model for similar campaigns nationwide. By centering the voices and experiences of Black, Muslim, Indigenous, undocumented, and queer youth, Students Deserve demonstrates the transformative impact of student-led organizing on educational equity. Students Deserve is a partner in the Liberation Fund coalition, striving together to end the incarceration of girls and genderexpansive youth in Los Angeles County, and the system traps that inflict generational harm.

NOTE: See the Altadena 5x5 for Black-led and Black-lifting groups Essie Justice Group, Greenline Housing Foundation, and Altadena Rapid Housing Solutions; and see the Trans Rights & Defense 5x5 for Mirror Memoirs.

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