By Jamye Wooten
“When we ‘dream’ we often do not dream original dreams; we merely seek relief from pain.” — Dr. Asa G. Hilliard III
Dr. Hilliard’s words reveal a profound truth: under oppression, our dreams shrink to survival. Oftentimes, our imaginations are shaped by what we’re trying to escape, not what we seek to build. This manifests as reactive efforts, treating pain without forging paths to true freedom, and applying temporary bandages rather than constructing bridges to new possibilities.
Breaking this cycle requires a deliberate process: Remembering our cultural wisdom, “restorying” our narratives, and reimagining what’s possible. This is the foundation of We Give Black—a gathering celebrating Black culture as the foundation of community-driven wealth, continuing traditions that have sustained us for generations.
We Give Black recognizes culture as capital—our stories, healing traditions and ancestral wisdom are true abundance. We’re revitalizing a legacy of communal power.
This work grows in urgency as DEI programs face attacks nationwide and executive orders dismantle equity initiatives. These political shifts threaten the infrastructure supporting Black-led organizations. When external support becomes unreliable or actively hostile, we must remember: our communities have always found ways to resource themselves.
Remembering – Sankofa: An African retention
Guided by Dr. Itihari Touré, CLLCTIVLY’s sacred memory scholar in residence, we reclaim the power of ancestral wisdom. As Dr. Touré explains, “Sankofa is a commitment to the value of memory because the loss of memory reduces our ability to radically examine ourselves, our ancestors and the opportunities we create for future generations.”
This pillar creates space to reconnect, heal from generational trauma and engage in meaningful conversations about well-being. Remembering honors longstanding traditions of communal giving, mutual aid and cultural inheritance.
Drs. Elmer and Joanne Martin’s work on Black helping traditions reminds us that our communities have always created systems of care—from kinship care to church-based benevolent societies to communal economic cooperatives. These represent profound expressions of cultural values centering collective well-being over individual accumulation. From the Free African Society in the late 1700s to Baltimore’s Order of Galilean Fishermen (founded 1856), our communities have long demonstrated the power of pooling resources.
“Restorying”: On our terms
“Restorying” is about reclaiming control of our narratives. For generations, others have told our stories through a lens of deficit and lack. Through creative expression and dialogue, we affirm the fullness of Black life.
Narrative power and resource mobilization are deeply connected. Corporate media consistently pathologizes Black communities, pressuring our organizations to emphasize challenges to secure funding but left with limited resources to solve them.
This negative portrayal erodes trust in Black leadership and institutions, resulting in a funding ecosystem characterized by restrictive, short-term grants rather than the multi-year, flexible funding that enables true innovation and sustainability.
The data confirms this resource gap: Black-led nonprofits receive 24 percent less revenue than their White-led counterparts, while their net assets are 76 percent smaller. Yet these same organizations continue to create remarkable impact despite these constraints.
We Give Black creates space for Black leaders to dream beyond survival. By “restorying” our relationship with wealth, we shift from consumption to collective prosperity, recognizing culture as a form of capital that has always sustained us.
During the gathering, local Baltimore organizations like Parity and Fight Blight, Afro Charities, Charm City Cultural Cultivation, B 360 and Bloom Collective, will host storytelling sessions, offering a look at the work being done by Black-led organizations that are transforming their communities despite resource constraints.
Reimagining a liberated Black future
Our final pillar invites imagining of futures where Black communities thrive on their terms. When we accept that every reality is first a thought, rekindling our imagination towards communal futures is the beginning of constructing a reality that centers flourishing.
Imagine Stages and Discovery Sessions explore ways to grow community ownership, build regenerative funding and design economies grounded in solidarity and shared prosperity.
Speakers include Dr. Itihari Touré, who’s exploring ancestral technologies for decolonizing imagination; Dr. Ruha Benjamin and Dr. Melva L. Sampson on moving from ancestral intelligence to abundant imagination; Susan Taylor Batten and Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson addressing the state of Black-led social change; and Brea Baker and Dr. Heber Brown III examining pathways to Black liberation through land and food sovereignty.
We Give Black creates space to not only imagine possibilities but to build concrete strategies for making them reality. From impact investing to cooperative economics, community ownership to tech innovation, we’re exploring diverse pathways to community-driven wealth.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.