Baltimore Organization Uses Kwanzaa Principles to Build Community and Give Back

BALTIMORE, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On December 10, 1988, George Edward Tait published an article in the New Amsterdam News entitled, "Interlocking Principles: Kwanzaa and Buy Black Campaign," a strategy to incorporate the principles of Kwanzaa into a yearlong campaign. Tait stated that these principles must become an "integral part of our daily existence and not just limited to a hasty observance during the final holiday season of the year.'  

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It is with the words of Tait in mind that Jamye Wooten, founder of CLLCTIVLY, launched the Black Futures Micro-Grant, a monthly no-strings-attached micro-grant program in Baltimore. "Community organizations often work in silos, these silos lead to fragmentation, fragmentation leads to duplication, and duplication leads to wasted resources – time, talent, and treasure," said Wooten. "We believe that ideology is the glue that holds decentralized organizations together, the goal is unity, not uniformity – we center shared values, not personalities."  

To put this idea into practice every month CLLCTIVLY host the Black Futures Micro-Grant, where Black-led organizations serving in Baltimore submit a 2-3-minutes video highlighting their mission and incorporating at least one principle from the Nguzo Saba (seven principles of Kwanzaa) that aligns with their work. Once the video submission is closed, the community-at-large votes for the monthly winner.  

Since the launch of the program in 2019 over 60,000 votes have been cast. Beyond raising dollars, the micro-grant is raising the visibility of Black-led organizations that often go unnoticed and underfunded. The Black Futures Micro-Grant opens for submissions every month on the 2^{nd –}16^thand voting runs from the 17^th– 26^th.  

"I want to take the time to thank and honor Brother Jamye Wooten and the CLLCTIVLY family for all the support he and his team have shown Black organizations, programs and businesses throughout the year. They have set a great example of cooperative economics and emphasized the importance of supporting and sustaining Black institutions in our community." - Bobby Holmes Martin, founder of Son of Dream, a multimedia youth development firm.

ABOUT CLLCTIVLY

CLLCTIVLY IS A PLACE-BASED SOCIAL CHANGE ORGANIZATION CENTERING BLACK GENIUS, NARRATIVE POWER, SOCIAL NETWORKS, AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION.

Our mission is to end the fragmentation and duplication of programs, to learn from and about each other, and to be a resource for the Greater Baltimore community that seeks to find, fund and partner with Black social change organizations. – cllctivly.org

SOURCE CLLCTIVLY

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