“Let’s move from a place of preventing poverty, to having the courage to imagine a region where everyone can prosper.”
At our annual Benefit earlier this month, I spoke about how those of us in the Bay Area pay a lot of attention to using the “right” words. Whether it’s Black vs. African America, or homeless vs. unhoused, we know that words matter. Of course, it’s not really about the words themselves, but what those words say about our perceptions, our worldview, our values.
Think about the difference between these two descriptions of a grantee’s work:
Preventing low-income kids from marginalized communities from dropping out of school. Vs. Enabling college-bound students in East San Jose to thrive.
Both can be true. But we see this same group of people very differently and we act very differently. In the first description, it’s an uphill battle to prevent loss. In the second, we’re setting the student up for success.
The Bay Area has always redefined what’s possible, never limited by the fear of failure. Let’s move from a place of preventing poverty, to having the courage to imagine a region where everyone can prosper. Everyone wins, when everyone wins.
As we approach the end of our fiscal year on June 30, we encourage you to invest in a prosperous region where all our neighbors can thrive.
