2024 Retreat: Through the Lens of Tawfiq Abdulaziz
Oftentimes grand ideas are just that…ideas. A listless passage of “wouldn’t it be great if” moments that comes from nothingness, exists in words, and is cast to the wayside in a forever pile of “shoulda, woulda, coulda’s.”It’s the proverbial waste bin of crumbled up papers overflowing onto the floor.
Not every idea is meant to see the light of day, but when an idea is born by the minds of powerful women—who have the knowledge and wisdom derived from faith and experience to take decisive action—meaningful opportunities are created for the community. An exchange between visionaries where a dire situation, clarity of knowing, and purpose aligned into a vision that became Black Future Co-Op Fund. The vision placed into the crosshairs the debilitating needs for funding and support of profound Black-led Washington nonprofits.
Sheraton Seattle executive conference room, November 1, 2024, Black Future Co-op Fund Fall Retreat
Left to right: Andrea Chaupin Sanderson, Michelle Merriweather, Lanessa Cerillo, Stephen Robinson, Angela Jones
“Community-based organizations are the boots on the ground. We know how to get the funding, and the organizations are in the best position to know how to spend it. We need to give it to them, and get out of the way.”
On November 1st, 2024, Black Future Co-op Fund met in the executive conference room at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Seattle for a full day retreat. Whereas many organizations might get right into business after some meeting, greeting, and eating, they too got to business, but in an unconventional way.
The team's business started with care, love and observance of self. Once gathered, the team conducted a sound bath with the goal to ground each of the team members in the present moment. Led by Tai Mattox in the lounge adjacent to the conference room, the space was cleared of clutter, yoga mats were laid, shoes were kicked off, and ceremonial bowls were set.
After a reflective group discussion was held amongst the team and facilitator, a flick of the wrist cast a calming peace that shrouded the room in a bathing resonance that stilled the waves of the mind, body and soul. A fitting beginning to community work that demands presence.
Tai Mattox leading Black Future Co-op Fund soundbath experience.
Rejuvenated, the team trekked back into the conference room, elevated to meet the task at hand together. They began with a team building activity where each person shared something personal and sentimental about who they are and what makes them special. Interestingly enough, it’s not an easy task to be transparent and vulnerable among other people.
It can be challenging to look inward and express a level of gratitude for yourself and how you show up. No doubt, the centering that came with the sound bath supported by the culture of the team made that barrier easier to overcome.
After team building, the group covered the current state of affairs, addressing internal challenges the Fund faced as well as external challenges their grantees are working to solve.
The central throughline was how BFCF could support their grantee’s work in a non-overbearing way. One discussion was concerning data and how the Fund can use their collective experience and network to fund research that supports the work their grantees do.
Black Future Co-op Fund team in a round-table discussion.
Data has long lasting effects and is so often out of reach for small community-based organizations to invest in. They are already strapped for resources in both funding and capacity. It is essential for nonprofits to prove that what they do matters to governing bodies, other foundations and large corporations, all of which are so far removed from what is actually happening to feel the effects of nonprofits’ work. Data is that tangible bridge that brings sponsors who are too removed and too aloof closer to the reality of the struggle that everyday Black Washingtonians experience.
Angela Jones presenting a strategy plan.
Within that struggle, communities as a whole become disconnected and hurt. No organization can begin to help fix the problems of the community without the community’s involvement. Connecting black communities together for collective power was another central point of discussion. There is no lasting foundation that sits atop the shoulders of a few. But as a community, a cohesive black voice will garner momentum and representation where and how it matters most.
By the closing of the day, the energy in the room was palpable. While it was a long day, you wouldn’t know it, representative of the way they basically did cartwheels out of the conference room. There was a beauty of which I got to witness a level of work and ingenuity being practiced through the lens of my camera.It is a blessing to know that there are neighbors in this city who are working diligently to provide solutions to issues that so often get overlooked. That day, I received a masterclass on how to build a team experience that not only supports organizational visions, but also meets the needs of the team at the individual level. In that way, I was paid twice. While I was commissioned to take photos, I was not commissioned to write this blog. This piece is a testament to my awe and appreciation for their holistic approach to weaving the very fabric of what it means to take action and live a community driven purpose.
Tawfiq Abdulaziz, Original Studios
