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At the same time, we're determined to believe in the potential of people to achieve great results and we believe in their ability to effect change in a positive way. Advancement Project is an international organization which promotes the principles of equity and justice, especially for BIPOC. BIPOC community that was established by NAACP the leadership of NAACP more than twenty years ago.

The sum of $100,000 was donated for Advancement Project as part of our 2020 commitment to assist groups working on social justice reforms with an emphasis on education, people impacted through incarceration and closing the pathway between prison and school. In the coming two years, the organization is hoping to contribute $250,000 to the budget for social justice that was pledged for 2020.

We spoke to the Executive Director of Advancement Project, Judith Browne Dianis, about how the organization helps local communities and builds the capacity of communities with a diverse population.

: As Executive Director for the Advancement Project, what inspired you to join the group?

Jennifer Browne Dianis: I was raised in Hollis, Queens by two Harlem residents: one was a teacher and community leader and the second was an active member of the country's separated Army. As a young Black woman, my mother and father didn't just impart to me the distinction between what was right and wrong. However they also taught me how important it was to be a judge. This important lesson--along with protesting racism as a student at the University of Pennsylvania and surviving job discrimination--prompted me to pursue a career in movement lawyering. I received my law degree in the Columbia University School of Law and was awarded the Skadden Fellowship, and went into the position director of the Washington, D.C. office of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund.

I was involved in the Advancement Project at its inception about 1999. The group worked with local groups for the purpose of running successful campaigns using litigation, advocacy, as well as communications. My job, and the purpose of the work carried out through the Advancement Project, has been focussed on strengthening the power of communities of color in order to guarantee that we are free and are able to thrive, feel safe, and leverage the power we have within us.

SQSP: As a part of your work, Advancement Project supports grassroots groups that work for racial and social justice in their communities. What kind of impact has been noticed through the work you've performed to bring about change at an individual level?

JBD Advancement Project chooses project projects, whether local or national which have the capacity to boost power at the grass-roots level and to redefine and further advance the cause of equality the race. Legal actions are only one aspect of an overall battle to the advantage of our leaders. We don't shy away in the face of difficult topics and the first to respond to civil rights related crises in addition to being in the forefront of issues relating to the issue of racial justice.

Our mission is to support local activists, and connect their efforts to others across the country. In the days leading up the celebration of Mother's Day, we worked with our partners in Michigan to boost the exposure of the 2021 black Mamas Bailout Campaign project. The campaign highlighted the experiences of seven mothers imprisoned. Our social media platforms to boost engagement back to the campaign as well as raise funds for the payment of fines, bail, as well as other charges to Black mothers, Black women, gender-nonconforming persons, as well as fem(me)s and to return them with their family members.

Part of our success depends the building of relationships with younger people and stakeholders, especially locally. In this way, we collaborate with organizations in Washington, D.C. and Maryland that were influenced by the murder of George Floyd and the uprisings of summer 2020. Youth were in need of help knowing how they can be organized in their community as well as what they could do to create their own campaigns at school that aren't police-controlled. To aid in their political education and training, we held numerous "Organizing 101" teach-ins, which helped groups build a solid basis for base building the leadership, developing leadership, planning strategies, and also campaign development.

Our whole work is focused on building power in local communities. It is evident through those who exercise their rights to vote. As we have seen countless bills in almost fifty states after the elections of 2020, with the aim to increase the obstacles to voter registration and make it more difficult for voters to step up and do steps to take. We have filed lawsuits against Georgia and Florida in order to be two of the states that were among the first to pass legislation. Particularly, we focused on the fact that a lot of legislation affects the primary mechanisms of democratic participation for communities of color, namely Black church and Latinx civic associations and brought large coalitions to oppose these bills. In an important ruling the judge decided in our favor in three of our four cases. This means that Florida doesn't have the right to restrict when and when drop-boxes can be used and conduct around polling stations designed to provide relief to people waiting in long lines cannot be made a crime. In addition the judge has ruled 10 years of pre-clearance from his court to amend any changes in voting laws.

SQSP: In the era with social media it's easier to connect more than ever before. What has technology done help grassroots organizations in their efforts?

JBD: The use of social media is an essential tool for achieving equality for all. The Advancement Project uses it as an element of a larger narrative strategy that aims to shift the way people think, what they believe, how they conduct themselves, and their perception of the issues of incarceration, police and voter registration as well as the issue of education. Most of our society's deeply believed-in beliefs are shared throughout the day, at any time and even in social media. That's why they are so interconnected. This is why it's important to implement the right decisions using social media within our plans.

Social media lets us showcase the stories and voices of organizations that are grassroots and that are leading the movement. Additionally, we educate the public about issues and break down the ways that system and laws influence or impact communities of people of color. We use it as an opportunity to strengthen our community's demands for justice. as well as national communities. We provide a platform for activists, groups and everyday people to demand justice.

SQSP: As well as the work you do in your community, it has a presence at the global level, creating decisions, helping initiatives, and connecting allies to broaden the scope of the cause. What have been some important changes that you've made during the past few years that have made a broader impact on the BIPOC society across the United States?

JBD: Even though we've been aware for quite a while of the time of backlash happening as communities of color acquire the strength they require to be able to assert their rights, we were awestruck by the intensity and volume of the backlash we saw throughout our work over the last few years.

Following an Presidential election with record participation, and especially those in communities with a racial divers, the legislatures of 48 states introduced 389 "voter integrity" laws in the session of 2021. While many might see the event as one-off, we recognize that this is but the latest in an array of assaults on the underlying principle of the multiracial democratic system of voting. In spite of these challenges, we continue to follow our own theory of change that requires an amalgamation of litigation, campaign building as well as assistance for communication.

The summer of 2021 and death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor has created an enormous movement in improving police service, such as eliminating the funds for the police. In our conversations with friends on the ground We have learned that while paying focus on the most significant incidents is important but it's more important that lawyers who have experience to collaborate with movements.

To meet this demand, we released a video series entitled "How Cops Get Off" in early June of this year along with our microsite, policefreecommunities.org where people can watch the videos and learn more about our work around policing. The narration is by the board member of AP actor, and politician Jesse Williams, each four-minute video breaks the major structure of our society as well as those laws that allow police officers to remain in power and unaccountable the main narrative in TV, movies and the news. We also address the guardians of our criminal justice system, including police groups; and laws which shield police officers free from being accountable. This includes laws of qualified immunity.

We created this series because the value of Black lives can't be judged on a verdict when policing processes and our criminal justice system protects the police , not us. This is a six-week-long culture change campaign that will encourage users to share and watch the clips, but as well as to participate in conversations about the current system, and to push for action together with local partners at the grassroots that are pushing for innovative methods of security.

SQSP: The ability to connect people who are passionate about lawyers, organizers as well as experts in communications isn't a task that is easy. What do you think of advances made by Advancement Project's introduction of their "Theory of Change," and what can you anticipate for the coming years?

JBD's goal is to create the world in which Black, Latinx, AAPI and Indigenous people can live freely and are safe. In the last 20 years We've been able to help connect movements and create the conditions for major breakthroughs in the field of race. Acting as a convener to create momentum that transcends place, we continue to hold the opportunity to study one another and develop power through legal action and policymaking along with strategically-planned campaigns, as well as aid for communications in addition to crafting the narrative that reveals the issue and offering possible solutions.

However, our work isn't done. The best part about our present is that it's still not complete. That is the only certain part of it. What I've witnessed from our friends in our local community who are in battlegrounds, fighting for justice every day inspires me to believe that we will have the an opportunity to flourish.

SQSP: How can those who want to be involved in the Advancement Project's mission be involved in?

JBD: You can be a part of our movement through signing up to our web site on this page or by making a donation to support our efforts by clicking here. For updates on the developments we are making, people can connect with us via our Twitter page, Facebook as well as the Instagram feed..

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