In this episode of Becoming the Vision, we sat down with Chung-Wha Hong and Sara Mersha, co-executive directors of Grassroots International, for a timely conversation on what it means to be in solidarity with social movements.
Drawing on decades of experience supporting collective efforts to transform systems in service to justice, they offer the concept of “Solidarity Philanthropy” to reimagine philanthropy’s role and relationship to social movements and activate the sector’s transformative potential.
In the conversation, we discuss solidarity as not an end state, but an ongoing practice and active commitment that goes beyond grantmaking. True solidarity with social movements involves the sector interrogating its own relationship to power, listening to those most proximate to injustice, seeking alignment on core values, and organizing itself in peer networks defined by deep collaboration.
In this vision, philanthropy emerges as more than a benefactor, becoming a comrade, ally, and protagonist in the struggle for justice.
