The Braxton Institute’s Work Is Made Possible through the Support of Partners and Donors
Join Our SupporterS
Friends of the Braxton Institute:
Open Society Foundations
Center on African American Religion, Sexual Politics and Social Justice (CARSS) at Columbia University
The Henry Luce Foundation
The Eileen Fisher Foundation
The Great Awakening United Church of Christ, Portsmouth, Virginia, Rev. Dr. Nanette Hilliard, Senior Pastor
William & Mary Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation
Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir
Fox Island United Church of Christ, Fox Island, Washington
The Kevess-Cohen Family Fund
Stabile Drueding Charitable Gift Fund
Bodhiheart Sangha, Seattle Washington
Soul Repair Center, Brite Divinity School
Old Dominion Pediatrics, PLLC
Rev. Sofia Betancourt, Ph.D
Dear Friend of the Braxton Institute,
As we find ourselves caught between the Dual Pandemics of Covid-19 and the necessary movement for Black Lives and Justice on many fronts, I pray that you and your family are well. In a time such as this, a time of sickness and death, food scarcity and unrelenting moral distress, the work of the Braxton Institute for Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy has become even more important. Can you join our work to support “Sustainability, Resiliency and Joy” for helpers and healers with historically minoritized identities?
The Braxton Institute is responding to the reality that the dual pandemics of Racism and Covid-19 triply impact people of color who bear the stress of caregiving while they themselves suffer from racism, sexism and homophobia. Our programs touch the lives of many who seek the emotional, spiritual and intellectual grounding to sustain their capacity to continue to serve and make change.-- African American women providing health care, indigenous activists resisting oppression, LGBTQ spiritual caregivers offering hope, People of Color putting their lives on the line for all our communities
Here are some highlights of our impact over the last year and a look ahead to our programs and initiatives for the coming year.
Dialogues on Resisting and Thriving In 2020 we have been nimble in responding to the twin pandemics by moving our keystone program into a webinar format, extending our outreach to an increasing number of participants.
· Incarceration and Covid: What We Have Learned with Rachel Barkow, Alice Marie Johnson and Mark Osler;
· Physician Wellness in a Time of Covid: Essential Practices from Two Black Women Physicians with Qadira Ali Huff and Rehema Kutua;
· Moving Through Spiritual Impasse to Counter White Supremacy, with Richael Faithful and Rebecca Ann Parker.
Restorative Justice We provided consultation on Restorative Justice for the Lakeland Community Heritage Project and co-sponsored The Lakeland Spirit: Through Digital Footprints, helping a community impacted by urban renewal 50 years ago reclaim its legacy and find its voice.
Expanding Our Reach In 20201 we will expand our work on “spiritual grounding to dismantle white supremacy” and offer a new initiative to address religious trauma in LGBT youth.
Tree of Life Initiative Coming in 2021 In January 2021, we will launch “Tree of Life: Black Faith Matters in a Time of Dual Pandemics.” This series of Womanist and LGBTQ-led on-line seminars and “Restorative Care Circles” will engage Black health care providers and spiritual caregivers in dialogue with each other. We are pleased to share the good news that this initiative has been awarded a CARSS Rapid Response Grant for “Tree of Life: Black Faith Matters in a Time of Dual Pandemics” from the Center for African-American Religion, Sexual Politics, and Social Justice at Columbia University. In collaboration with trusted partners including William and Mary’s Africana Studies Program and The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation, our project will also initiate scholarly research and teaching on Black Faith, Spirituality and Health, bringing together the fields of Black Studies and the Study of Religion. The outcomes and learnings from Tree of Life: Black Faith Matters will be made available to a wider public through video documentation and on-line publications.
Your Support Matters We all have choices about how we use the resources we have been blessed to be able to share. We hope that you’ll respond by supporting us with a monthly pledge as a Friend ($1-$10), a Sustainer ($11-$50) a Benefactor ($50-100), a Joy Bringer ($101 or more). Or, make a one-time gift in an amount that is meaningful to you.
Would you be so kind as to share this message of hope with others in your networks?
With Joy & Gratitude,
Joanne M. Braxton, Ph.D., M.Div.
President & CEO