Pan-African Women’s Philanthropy Network Fall 2014

About Me:

Hello! My name is Jessica Medina and I am a senior at USF. I am an International Business major with an interest in Sociology. Currently, I am working for America Reads and Pan-African Women’s Philanthropy Network (PAWPNet). I enjoy learning and working/volunteering in different fields such as the public school education. It is important to broaden my horizon and work with people from different backgrounds as well. These experiences serve as an opportunity to build my awareness and education of social issues beyond my own knowledge.  After I graduate, I plan to travel and perhaps live in another country for a year. I definitely want to learn another language such as Portuguese or Italian.  I envision a life dedicated to promoting social justice while having the opportunity to explore other diverse cultures and regions.

PAWPNet’s Mission and Vision:

PAWPNet works to strengthen the capacity of Pan-African women to improve the future of their communities, families and children.

PAWPNet is a vital and unique community of diverse black women and their supporters throughout the world.  We act as an online advisor, information clearinghouse, referral source, and convener to increase the visibility and impact of African-descent women’s leadership and giving. (http://pawpnet.ning.com/)

PAWPNet was founded by Dr. Jackie Copeland-Carson and Mojúbàolú Olufúnké Okome, Ph.D. Both are incredible scholars and activists in the Pan-African philanthropy movement. They continue researching and developing initiatives, raising awareness, and mobilizing efforts for social change in issues such as the African maternal health crisis and African Diaspora. Ms.Okome is the leader of the US #BringOurGirlsBackHome Movement.

Philanthropy has evolved from a social structure in which traditionally white, wealthy people usually men donate to a poor, minority group of people. Today, it has become a universal social structure in which everyday people are putting their time, talents and funding to fulfill social goals. Social movements are created by the everyday citizen who is working to improve their life and the lives of those oppressed. People are recognizing the importance of mobilization in the community and realizing that they do not have to depend on large institutions for funding. There are many organizations that are willing to fund movements or non-profits if their mission and goals are aligned to theirs. PAWPNet was created to mobilize women to engage in social justice issues by using online tools. Jackie describes it as a “community school,” or a social support network in which women learn and support each other using social media while attracting more allies. It is a global site with members from various countries facing social issues in gender inequality. These women do not have to sacrifice their health or well-being by providing online peer advice or encouraging self-help traditions (volunteering or donating). Also, PAWPNet is used to promote Black Philanthropy Month which is celebrated in August but is promoted as a yearlong lifestyle. It is a call to action 365 days of the year, for diverse African heritage groups (Pan-African) to promote diversity and mobilize for social change. Pan-African Women Philanthropy movement is emerging as more women are empowering each other and uniting to promote social justice and self-help traditions.

Assigned Projects:

This semester, I will be focusing on PAWPNet’s social media outreach and I will be working virtually. By doing this, I am creating a Facebook and Twitter page for PAWPNet. I have posted onto these pages information about our site, philanthropy events and talks, and articles related to the Pan-African women’s social justice movement. In addition, I have invited PAWPNet’s current members to like or follow our pages. It is important to read the research papers that Jackie has published to understand this emerging movement and the new wave of philanthropy. We are planning to organize a meet-up later this semester with other women as an extension of Black Philanthropy Month to continue the conversation of Black Philanthropy. My work plan includes attending forums related to Pan-African Women such as a Black Voices panel in Oakland at the end of October. Throughout this semester, I will be adding Global Giving Stories onto the official website and cross-posting them on our social media pages. Lastly, I will be doing research and developing a booklet with instructions to help supporters in the top 10 states (metro areas) with the largest black populations to establish Black Philanthropy Month resolutions. This research will also include identifying major groups of Afro-Latinos in Latin America and women’s role in these countries. My goal is to increase awareness of the social media pages and increase membership.

Exciting New Updates:

I have been working on researching and posting exciting new updates about our website, PAWPNet, for our followers on our social media pages. This past week, we begun our new feature: Pan-African Woman of the Week! We are celebrating the tireless work, talent, and treasures of women dedicated to black giving and supporting Black Philanthropy Month 365. I have been promoting this new feature on our website, Facebook and Twitter pages. It is important for our followers to become involved in this movement by giving, volunteering, offering peer advice, etc. Also, PAWPNet is having its own revival by promoting #BPM365. Here are images of the main page of our website and our official Twitter page!

Planning for Meetups:

PAWPNet’s founder, Jackie Copeland-Carson, is working with me to set up a women’s philanthropy-focused meetup group. I am currently looking at options for our meetup group and researching the logistics for creating one. We are planning to have three meetup groups in December in three cities across the nation with the highest number of supporters. We are hoping to draw old members and new participants to bring our network together for change. I am excited that we are planning new activities and continuing the mission of #BPM365!

 AACHAC New Black Voices:

The African American Community Health Advisory Committee (AACHAC) hosted its panel discussion, “New Black Voices: Towards an Inclusive Health Agenda,” with the support of our organization. PAWPNet’s co-founder, Jackie Copeland-Carson, was the moderator for the two-day panel discussion. New Black Voices addressed the challenges faced by Black immigrants who are increasingly sharing the same health disparities as African Americans. Over past 20 years, we had a 200% increase in Black immigration from all over the world (Africa, Caribbean, Latin America, but also Asia and Europe) into the U.S. However, they are an invisible group because they are often excluded from black health policy reform and agenda-building reforms. The discussion had panelists/advocates who have backgrounds in health, spiritual care, medical anthropology, public service, etc. They would share their homegrown health knowledge about black immigrant health issues and make recommendations about how to improve outcomes. Before the panel, I created the Powerpoint presentation that would be used as the background during the panel discussion. Also, PAWPNet did a live tweetathon with key quotes during the panel. Lastly, I was happy to be a part of the panel and it was very informative.

Revival of the Giving Stories!

A few years ago, PAWPNet began a segment titled “Giving Stories,” which presented generous women across the country who shared their purpose for giving, especially black giving. These stories were recorded and shared as YouTube videos. PAWPNet has revived these Giving Stories by implementing it into our “Pan-African Woman of the Week” blog post. I am researching new updates on these women and their new projects for giving back to their community. It is great to recognize the work of these women because it shows their continued dedication and willpower in promoting Black Philanthropy Month 365.  They are also great examples for other women who are interested in black philanthropy and have the opportunity to connect with these women through the website. These women can empower each other by exchanging ideas, tools, and models to better respond to their communities’ challenges or social injustices. I will continue to post these blogs every week and I am happy to continue working with PAWPNet next semester.