Today, the Common Cause Education Fund is pleased to announce it is a recipient of Lumina Foundation’s racial equity funding program to expand the Student Action Alliance. The Student Action Alliance is a program for students of color that is led by a team of Black millennials. The program focuses on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and students of color at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). The two-year $200,000 grant, which is part of the Lumina Foundation’s $15 million effort to help eradicate systematic racism, will allow the Common Cause Education Fund to increase its staff capacity and expand our program to additional HBCUs and to other Minority Serving Institutions.

“We are supporting efforts to eradicate and dismantle systemic racism in areas that support and complement the work of Lumina Foundation,” said Danette Howard, senior vice president and chief policy officer at Lumina. “We applaud the Common Cause Education Fund, which has demonstrated equity-mindedness through training, education, and a commitment to reflecting the community that it serves.”

“We are very grateful to Lumina Foundations’ support and excited to be able to expand this important program to further empower students of color,” said Karen Hobert Flynn, president of the Common Cause Education Fund. “Providing professional civic opportunities to students of color is critical as we work to build a democracy that represents the diversity of our country.”

“The Common Cause Student Action Alliance is an example of how organizing can change lives and empower everyday people to lead in their communities and on their campuses,” said Alyssa Canty, youth programs manager at the Common Cause Education Fund. “We are building the next generation of democracy leaders, of every color and creed, background and zip code. This program has allowed students of color to become leaders and organizers on racial justice, voting rights, redistricting reform, and other key issues on their campuses.”

About the Common Cause Education Fund’s Student Action Alliance:

For almost two decades the North Carolina chapter of Common Cause Education Fund has hosted college students as fellows from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). North Carolina has the most 4-year HBCUs and they historically face many challenges due to being underfunded. The North Carolina chapter’s staff  believed that offering professional and leadership skills to students was a way to increase Millennial and Generation Z civic engagement while they’re in college and once they graduate. Since the start of the program, we have seen fellows graduate and work for social justice organizations, progressive candidates, run for office, start businesses, and make a positive impact on their community. The success of the North Carolina program led the Common Cause Education Fund to expand the program to HBCUs in Georgia, Maryland, and Mississippi and to provide opportunities to students of color that do not attend HBCUs.

To learn more about the Common Cause Education Fund’s Student Action Alliance, nhấp vào đây.

To learn more about Lumina Foundation’s Fund for Racial Justice and Equity, nhấp vào đây.