February 2026 marks a century of observing Black History Month — a milestone that invites remembrances of and reflections on the Black leaders, communities, solutions, and institutions that shape our lives and our work.

To honor those legacies and this anniversary, NationSwell invited a group of Black leaders from across our community to reflect on a forward-looking question: What’s one movement, model, or solution that you are seeing create momentum toward a more just and equitable society today — and what can other leaders be doing to ensure that work can scale or endure?

Although the responses span sectors and strategies, one shared philosophy emerged: Momentum is strongest when communities are trusted and resourced. The answers we received point to the neighbors organizing mutual aid and defending democratic participation; to collective giving models that pool capital and strengthen civic infrastructure; to philanthropy that trusts communities with flexible, long-term investment; to leaders doing the internal work required to lead with accountability.

Although urgency may be the spark that ignites action, the strength of our communities is what sustains it, and Black History Month is an occasion to honor the ancestors and elders, artists and organizers, mentors and managers, and everyday examples of courage and care that form the basis of those communities.

Take a look at some of the responses from across our community below:

Prompt: What’s one movement, model, or solution that you are seeing create momentum toward a more just and equitable society today — and what can other leaders be doing to ensure that work can scale or endure?

“What I’ve seen from my neighbors in Minnesota hasn’t just inspired me — it has moved the nation.

The way ordinary Minnesotans mobilize to take care of one another, and to fight for the American freedoms and values we hold dear, may be making headlines now, but it isn’t new, which is a point of both pain and pride. We saw it after the murder of George Floyd, when grief and outrage drew people to be part of something bigger than any one of us.

Today we’re seeing it following the surge of federal agents into our neighborhoods. Like then, people did not retreat with fear or fury. Instead, they built mutual-aid lifelines: food distribution, rent support, school carpools. They trained as constitutional observers. They documented what they witnessed not to inflame conflict, but to protect rights and de-escalate harm. They marched by the thousands, in sub-zero temperatures. The nation was watching, and what it saw was the best of Minnesota — and of America.

We have been told the surge is ending. And while it is clear that policies or practices have yet to change, the signaled departure is proof that the peaceful pressure worked. Care and accountability carried Minnesota through. 

And for leaders who want that civic strength to scale and endure, the mandate is clear: Fund grassroots organizations. Protect democratic participation. Use your voice to tell the truth about what communities are experiencing. Direct capital back into neighborhoods after the headlines fade.

A just society is built from the ground up. By neighbors who refuse to abandon one another, and by leaders who choose to stand with them.”

– Tonya Allen, President, McKnight Foundation

“One movement driving meaningful progress toward a more just and equitable society is collective giving. Across Black communities in America — including my hometown in West Tennessee — there is a longstanding tradition of pooling resources to meet urgent needs, build institutions, and support one another. Today, that tradition is developing into more formal structures such as giving circles and philanthropic collectives, merging cultural legacy with strategic philanthropy.

These models are powerful because they democratize impact. They allow individuals, regardless of social economic status, to participate in thoughtful, community-focused grantmaking. By aligning shared values with pooled resources, collective giving magnifies results beyond what any single donor could achieve alone. It strengthens connections, encourages shared accountability, and enables communities to deploy resources quickly and efficiently. In doing so, it reinforces both social trust and civic infrastructure.

As this movement expands, leaders can help it grow and sustain in two key ways. First, invest in infrastructure organizations that provide education, governance frameworks, and operational support to collective giving networks, as we do through the Fidelity Charitable Catalyst Fund, a grantmaking program led by our Board of Trustees. Second, lead by example. When leaders actively participate in and promote collective giving, they normalize collaborative philanthropy and help it expand and endure.”

– Jacob Pruitt, President, Fidelity Charitable

“Right now, one of the most powerful changes gaining momentum is leaders turning inward and embracing real self‑awareness. Leaders are starting to take that step to not only look within, but to also act on what they learn. That is huge because as leaders, our greatest impact comes from doing this internal work and challenging our own beliefs, assumptions, and misconceptions. That’s where real growth happens and where our power lies to actually drive change across the work we do, now and in the future.

Throughout my career, I have made it a priority to practice a deep level of self-examination because meaningful change only happens when there’s also personal accountability. This self-reflection is what strengthens you as a leader, a family member, and a member of your community. After working with countless leaders, I can honestly say that what separates a good leader from a great one is their willingness to ask questions, seek context, and stay open to being challenged rather than assuming they already understand others. Our willingness as leaders to embrace internal growth strengthens who we are and helps us empower everyone we lead and every community we serve.”

– Olivia Jefferson, Vice President and Executive Director, Best Buy

“One movement I see creating real momentum toward a more just and equitable society is the shift from transactional philanthropy to trust-based, community-informed investment. Across the country, leaders are rethinking who holds power, who defines impact, and who is trusted to lead change. Multi-year general operating support, participatory grantmaking, and deeper listening are not merely technical adjustments — they signal a cultural shift in how institutions relate to communities.

What gives me hope is the recognition that communities closest to the challenges are also closest to the solutions. When we provide grantees with flexibility and respect, we unlock innovation, resilience, and long-term transformation.

At WKKF, this is not new. It reinforces what has long guided our work: meaningful change happens through, as Mr. Kellogg described it, “cooperative planning, intelligent study and group action.” While “trust-based philanthropy” may be a newer sector term, the underlying ethos,  following the lead of communities and resourcing their vision, is deeply aligned with our founding values.

For this work to scale and endure, leaders must move beyond rhetoric and align systems, governance structures, risk tolerance, reporting practices, and definitions of success accordingly. Justice is not accelerated by urgency alone; it is sustained by trust, partnership, and shared accountability.”

– Roshell Rinkins, Vice President of Transformation and Organizational Effectiveness, WKKF

“The movement I’m most inspired by is the growing insistence — from HBCUs, community organizers, faith leaders and everyday people — that they are the AI experts who will build the technological future that works for all of us. The Civil Rights Movement didn’t wait for powerful institutions to invite participation. People built parallel structures — freedom schools, legal defense funds, community newspapers — because they understood that if you aren’t at the table shaping the narrative, you become a character in someone else’s story. The same principle applies today. AI is not destiny — it is design. And design reflects the imagination, values, and blind spots of whoever holds the pen. When entire communities are absent from that process, the resulting systems don’t just fail to serve them — they often actively harm them. This is why Omidyar Network partners with organizations like Collab Capital, an Atlanta-based early-stage venture firm investing in the building blocks of shared prosperity and economic parity, and the Black Innovation Alliance — a growing coalition ensuring Black-led startups, innovators and researchers can connect with the capital, talent, and networks they need to scale and shape the future of tech.

Real momentum comes from investing in people who see themselves as protagonists — not end users or data points, but architects. Leaders can accelerate this by funding inclusion before the crisis, by asking what voices are missing from their portfolios, and commissioning diverse design teams as a standard, not a footnote. The decisions made in boardrooms today are shaping the world our grandchildren will inherit.

Let’s make sure they can be proud of what we built.”

– Michele Jawando, President, Omidyar Network