2 minute read
Eureka Gilkey
PROJECT ROW | HOUSES HOUSTON, TEXAS
Marc Newsome’s I Love 3W installation for Round 47 The Act of Doing Preserving, Revitalizing and Protecting Third Ward.
Neighborhood Development and the Preservation of a Community session during “Social Practice. Social Justice” symposium. Fellow cohort member, Irfana Jetha Noorani also featured (second from left).
TO ME, THE CATALYST COLLECTIVE PROGRAM has provided safety in a sector where I haven’t always felt safe as a woman of color, and has served as a soft place for me to stand. The CEO cohort has felt genuinely connected, allowing me to feel seen, supported, and heard at every convening. My hope is that the Catalyst Collective program continues to exist and grow for our next generation of leaders.
This space is important. It allows leaders of color to stop, rest, and reflect on their work — which oftentimes is not something we’re allowed to or can afford to do. The burden of this work should not fall on the leaders who are carrying it out. In order to achieve transformational systems change, philanthropy needs to hold itself accountable for how we got here and do the work to dismantle the structures so we are able to leave leaders of color cared for, well-resourced, and sustained in their leadership for years to come.
An aeriel view of Project Row Houses, located in Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood.
ABOUT
Eureka Gilkey serves as Executive Director of Project Row Houses (PRH), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people and enriching communities through engagement, art, and direct action. Eureka also led the creation of PRH Preservation — whose mission is to maintain and enhance existing buildings in Houston’s Third Ward to ensure long-term affordable housing for its residents. Eureka also serves on the Board of Directors for the Houston Zoo, Row House Community Development Corporation, and Texans for the Arts. She is an American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow, and an inaugural member of the City of Houston’s Women’s Commission.
