The Inland Empire is at a breakthrough moment. Our region has added jobs at a faster rate than the national average, and our nonprofits are benefiting from greater philanthropic investments than ever before. People of color comprise a majority of our region’s population, our colleges and universities are nationally recognized for their contributions to social mobility, and there have been notable gains in representation.

At the same time, we find a persistent racial gap between the region’s population and the leadership profile of those who serve on nonprofit and philanthropic boards. As board members of two prominent, statewide foundations, we hope to change that dynamic.

We are often asked by leaders in state government, philanthropy, and the nonprofit sector to recommend others who have the requisite experience and judgment to serve as board members. We are honored to partner with Kenneth B. Morris, president of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives and the direct descendant of both Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, to create the Douglass Washington Leadership Program (DWLP).

DWLP aims to foster civic leadership, mentorship, and a trusted network to drive initiatives that advance equity and inclusion in civic leadership. In this first year, this fellowship is only open to residents of Riverside County and San Bernardino County. We aim to expand this program to other regions after 2019. The cost of the program is $200, and generous scholarships are available.

We invite community partners, students and aspiring civic leaders to apply. The program will involve monthly seminars, from September-December 2019. We have the honor of having the first seminar led by Kenneth B. Morris, co-founder of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives.

Sincerely,

Paulette Brown-Hinds, CEO Voice Media Ventures
Karthick Ramakrishnan, Director, Center for Social Innovation-UC Riverside