Neighborhood Birth Center aims to tackle maternal health disparities
April 18, 2024 Black birthing individuals have two to three times the maternal mortality and morbidity risk as white individuals. Nashira Baril, founder of the Neighborhood Birth Center in Boston, knows of the disparities in maternal health all too well. “There is a crisis in maternal health, and it bears down inequitably to communities of […]
What’s the Future of Boston Philanthropy?
Nov. 29, 2022 It’s a tradition as American as apple pie: Every July Fourth since 1974, the Boston Pops have descended on the Hatch Shell for an evening of orchestral magic, followed by the red glare of a bombastic fireworks display. More than a million people flood the Esplanade each year to watch the spectacle […]
How one expert believes we can do philanthropy right this season
Dec. 8, 2023 It’s the season of giving — and not just presents. The holidays are huge for charitable donations, and some experts believe there’s a better way to give than traditional philanthropy usually promotes. Makeeba McCreary, president of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund and co-author of a WBUR Cognoscenti piece about equitable […]
‘She’s got it right’: Healey hangs two MFA paintings by Black artists in her State House office
Dec. 8, 2023 Governor Maura Healey selected two paintings, both by Black artists, from the Museum of Fine Arts to hang in her office as a continuation of her commitment to representing the state’s diversity in the State House’s artwork, according to a press release from her office. The paintings, “Black Tie” by Robert T. […]
The Legacy Pioneer Awards
Feb. 12, 2024 Black leaders in Boston and throughout Massachusetts were honored Monday at The Legacy Pioneer awards, which commend those who have broken down barriers, opened doors to economic opportunities, championed inclusivity and driven positive change across the city and state for minority owned and operated businesses. Legacy Pioneer honorees embody the evolving face […]
Social justice groups are ‘already solving the problems.’ Now they need more from philanthropists, panelists say.
Sept. 21, 2023 For philanthropic leaders, simply talking about social justice issues is not enough to move the needle. Instead, two of the state’s leading humanitarians said Thursday at the Globe Summit that using your platform to support grassroots advocacy groups already doing the work is necessary and will take social justice work further. “It’s all […]
Jaylen Brown wants to create a ‘Black Wall Street in Boston’. What would that look like?
Aug. 14, 2023 By Shirley Leung For decades, Black entrepreneurs and business leaders in Boston have worked without much fanfare to create jobs and wealth for their community. Then Jaylen Brown uttered these five words: “Black Wall Street in Boston.” After signing a $304 million extension with the Celtics, the richest in NBA history, Brown […]
New Commonwealth Fund names four new directors
Aug. 7, 2023 The New Commonwealth Fund, an organization invested in Black and brown communities, has named four new directors from the worlds of healthcare, financial services and professional sports. The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund, or NCF, says its new directors are: former New England Patriots captain Devin McCourty; healthcare executives […]
What this Juneteenth means for Black Bostonians
June 19, 2023 It’s Juneteenth 2023, and only the third year that Massachusetts has marked it as an official holiday. Juneteenth observes the date that news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached a group of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, two and a half years after it was issued. In this special hour, we take stock […]
New Atrius Health Equity Foundation awards $1 million to local organizations
June 8, 2023 A recently created foundation has announced two large grants focused on closing health disparities in the state. The $1 million in funding will go to the Health Equity Compact and the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund, two organizations led by industry leaders of color in Massachusetts that are working […]
Boston businessman following through on promises made after death of George Floyd
Feb. 2, 2023 BOSTON – Damian Wilmot is on a mission. Just two weeks after the death of George Floyd and during the height of the pandemic, he picked up the phone and called a handful of other Black and Brown executives around Massachusetts. Collectively, they launched the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice […]
This Fund Wants to Dial in on Discriminatory Justice Policy in Massachusetts. Can It Succeed?
Jan. 17, 2023 Is it possible to track systemic racism and its impact, specifically in terms of youth justice? That’s one of the questions Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research is hoping to answer with the support of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF) and United Way of Massachusetts Bay and […]
Black and Brown Business Leaders Want to Drive a Movement to End Racial Inequities.
In this moment of racial awakening and anguish, the question on many minds is: “What can I do?” For 19 Black and brown business leaders in Boston, it was the question, too. They felt compelled to respond, and they’ve come up with a big idea: the creation of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund. If […]
Racial equity fund delivers $3M to local organizations, entrepreneurs
The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund, a funding and support resource for Black, Latinx and Indigenous nonprofits, will allocate $3 million to 54 members in its inaugural cohort of nonprofit partners — all of which are Black and Brown-led. https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2022/07/08/new-commonwealth-racial-equity-and-social-justice.html
How Harvard Could Spend that 100 Million to Unwind its legacies of slavery
Ask Black leaders how they would spend $100 million to address the legacies of slavery and you might get 100 different answers. Harvard University is committing that sum toward reparations after releasing a report detailing the institution’s ties to slavery — from presidents and faculty who enslaved Black people to pivotal donors who built their fortunes as […]
The Newsette, Nashira Baril
She’s got babies on the brain. Nashira Baril is the founder and project director of Boston’s Neighborhood Birth Center. In her work as a maternal health researcher, she’s seen how “traditional” methods have led to alarming stats like Black women having a 3x greater maternal mortality rate than their white peers. That’s why she’s partnered with the New Commonwealth […]
What corporate philanthropy got wrong after George Floyd’s murder?
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, many corporations made pledges intended to advance racial justice. For example, Google committed to donating $50 million to historically Black colleges and universities, while JPMorgan Chase allocated $30 billion in housing and business loans, and other supports, to Black and Latino communities. But […]
MGB NCF Maternal Health Equity Partnership
Boston, MA, Jan. 26, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mass General Brigham, Massachusetts’ largest health care system, and The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF), a ground-breaking fund created by a group of Black and Brown corporate executives in Massachusetts to eliminate systemic racism throughout the state, today announced a strategic five-year maternal health partnership. The […]
Makeeba McCreary on Joining the New Commonwealth Fund
Makeeba McCreary will be the MFA’s new chief of learning and community engagement. (Courtesy MFA) How can we address the wrongs of the past, and invest in the future we want to see? Makeeba McCreary, the Chief of Learning and Engagement at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, talks to us about transitioning to her […]
Makeeba McCreary On Her New Role as President of the New Commonwealth Fund
New Commonwealth Fund Names First-Ever President
By Don Seiffert – Managing Editor, Boston Business Journal Aug 9, 2021, 6:22am EDT The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund has named Makeeba McCreary, a Boston native who has been a top executive at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Boston Public Schools in recent years, as its first president. McCreary will […]
New Racial Equity Fund Gives Out First $1M To Nonprofits. ‘We Are Going to Do Big Things Because of It,’ One Says
Elevated Thought, a Lawrence nonprofit that uses art to drive social justice, will finally be able to hire a youth organizer. Brockton Interfaith Community can now afford to bring on another staffer, while Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services can offset the cost of running a remote learning center for low-income families in Springfield. These organizations, […]
Eastern Bank, State Street Each Give $5m for Racial-Equity Effort Led by Black and Brown Executives
A new racial equity fund led by prominent Black and brown executives in Boston is receiving its first round of major gifts, including $5 million each from the charitable foundations of Eastern Bank and State Street. The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund, which launched in July, focuses on supporting Black- and brown-led organizations […]
‘What can I do?’: 19 Black and brown business leaders want to drive a movement to end racial inequities
In this moment of racial awakening and anguish, the question on many minds is: “What can I do?” For 19 Black and brown business leaders in Boston, it was the question, too. They felt compelled to respond, and they’ve come up with a big idea: the creation of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund. If […]
The $100 Million Challenge
QUINCY MILLER is no stranger to community service. The president of Eastern Bank has given his time and expertise to organizations that help kids become the first in their family to go to college, give food to people experiencing hunger, and work to create more opportunities for people of color. Still, in the long days […]
