Nneka Allen

Collecting Courage Nneka Allen

Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love-Anti-Black Racism in the Charitable Sector is a collection of 15 first-person narratives shared by accomplished Black fundraisers and equity, racial, and social justice advocates, documenting their experiences confronting and surviving racism working in charitable and philanthropic spaces across North America. With searing and intimate detail, they write about their experiences with anti-Black racism: from coping with being last hired, first fired, and overlooked for promotion to outright hostility in toxic workplaces. Their testimonies chip away at the idea of the inherent goodness of the charitable sector.




"This book is the start of a process to systematically document our experiences, so our voices are the ones that shape the narrative," say the editors. "And, for those whom our stories resonate, we hope they give you the courage to voice your own experience. For those committed to being allies and accomplices in dismantling barriers and championing a sector culture of belonging and reciprocity, we hope the book illuminates a path to action."



In addition to the editors Nneka Allen, Camila Vital Nunes Pereira, and Nicole Salmon, contributors to Collecting Courage include: Birgit Smith Burton, Christal M. Cherry, Kishshana Palmer, Heba Mahmoud, Mide Akerewusi, Naimah Bilal, Niambi Martin-John, Fatou Jammeh, Muthoni Kariuki, Sherrie James, Nicole E. Cozier, and Marva Wisdom.