We stand in solidarity with Black people to combat structural racism through sustained financial action & genuine allyship.

What is Brown for Black?

 

As South Asian Americans, we have benefited tremendously from the systemic racism against Black people in the United States. It is well past time that we do more.

That’s why we created Brown for Black: we are a collective of individuals who are committed financially, in the form of a giving circle, to be better allies in the fight against racism. While anyone can and should participate in this collective, we are specifically calling on the Indian and South Asian American community to rise up to this moment.

We are asking that each member commit to a certain amount per year for the next three years. We will then use our collective membership and donor power to better educate ourselves about the best ways we can make an impact for the benefit of Black people with our dollars. Our goal is to support four organizations and initiatives per year.

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What do we mean by allyship?

We focus on a 3-pronged approach to engage the Brown community in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Self-Education

  • Recognizing our own privilege and how myths like the “model minority” are used to pit Asian people against Black people - ultimately leading to the further marginalization of both groups

  • Educating ourselves and our communities on structural racism and how it disenfranchises Black people

  • Addressing anti-Black sentiment in Brown communities by deconstructing Black stereotypes

External Advocacy

  • Speaking up against racist policies, racist sentiments and microaggressions toward Black people in both our personal and professional lives

  • Challenging organizations to take actionable steps toward helping the Black community

  • Mentoring young Black people to attain education and employment opportunities and build generational wealth over time

  • Standing in solidarity with the Black community to protest and change policies and procedures that adversely affect them

Financial Action

  • Identifying and supporting the philanthropic organizations that are most successfully undoing inequities that Black people face in the realms of education, health care, police brutality, criminal justice, voting rights, housing and employment discrimination

  • Supporting Black-led and Black-owned ventures

How does Brown for Black work?

We will be hearing from and learning about multiple organizations through the course of each year and voting for the four we will fund. Each of us will then donate, individually, to the organizations we select based on our respective donation commitments. Any member can propose a nonprofit or cause for consideration. 

  1. Join this collective (this is not a time commitment unless you want it to be) 

  2. Commit to a 4-figure dollar amount per year for the next 3 years.  (The suggested minimum donation is $2k/year, with many contributing 5 digit amounts)

  3. Recruit at least two others to join our collective and help make it a movement 

Join the collective.

Ready to make your pledge to fight against racism and anti-Blackness? Fill out the form, and we’ll reach out with additional information on how to get started!

 

Partner Application

We are currently open to hearing from organizations that want to partner with Brown for Black. Just fill out the form here and a member will be in contact.

Our Steering Committee

  • Ranvir Gujral

    Ranvir Gujral is a private equity investor and entrepreneur. He is the founder and managing partner of Sleeping Bear Capital, a founder-first private equity firm that invests in business unit spinouts and early stage startups. He started his career in private equity with Morgan Stanley and Silver Lake Partners before co-founding and serving as CEO of a number of startups for nearly 15 years. He sold his last startup, Chute, in 2018, and subsequently founded Sleeping Bear. He is based in San Francisco and is working on Brown for Black's Police Reform initiative in 2021.

  • Anouska Biswas

    With over 22 years of expertise in Operational Finance and Accounting, Anouska Biswas has worked for prominent hotel and resort groups (properties and corporate), high-end restaurant groups, boutique investment banking firms, and a private wealth management/family office. Her experience includes partnerships with influential brands, including Renaissance/Marriott, Jumeirah, Joel Robuchon, and Equinox Hotel Group. In addition to her work with Brown for Black, she is on the board of a Covid-relief organization (unitewithindia.org). Anouska is heading up the Key Focus Area of Voting Rights, for the second year for B4B, as she understands the power of using one’s voice, through voting, to change the course of history and to create the much needed equity that everyone deserves.

  • Judith Carlson-Pujara

    Judith has spent over sixteen years working in the fields of design and workplace strategy. She moved with her family to Atlanta and has enjoyed exploring historical sites, some of which she was fortunate enough to learn about in school. As the mother of a young daughter, and someone who has always identified as anti-racist, Judith says “It is time to actively focus on ways in which I can help deconstruct systemic racism from my place of privilege.” In 2020, she led the Key Focus Area of Education and Leadership for Brown For Black. In 2021, she is partnering with her husband on Equal Healthcare for All.

  • Akshat Pujara

    Akshat is a board-certified radiologist practicing in Atlanta. He and his family recently moved to Atlanta for its diversity and rich history. Living the events of 2020 in the birth city of Dr. King amplified Akshat's understanding of how imperative it is that we all do what we can in the fight for social justice, no matter how big or how small. In addition to his work with Brown for Black, Akshat is focused on identifying and mitigating disparities in our healthcare system. Akshat is co-heading the Key Focus Area of Equal Healthcare for All for B4B in 2021.

  • Korbi Ghosh

    Korbi is Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, providing individual and couples therapy from her private practice in West Hollywood, California. She also facilitates new parent groups, giving moms and dads of infants and toddlers the education and support needed to navigate this special time in their life. Korbi is passionate about advocating for the vulnerable and lifting up those who need a hand. She hopes to foster that spirit in her two young sons as well. Through her work with Brown For Black, Korbi has continued to learn about the history of systemic racism in this country and is especially determined to help level the playing field for young Black Americans through equal access to quality education, mentorship and mental health services. In 2021, she is co-leading the Key Focus Area of Investing in Black Leaders for B4B.

  • Chantalle Mair

    Chantalle has worked in hospitality finance for over 20 years. She got involved in social justice/activism in mid-2020 after becoming outraged by the murders of Amaud Aubrey and George Floyd and the many other murders of unarmed black men before them. Chantalle teamed up with 8 AME churches in South Florida to ensure that those in underrepresented communities turned out to the polls for the 2020 General Election. She then went on to organize Rides to the Polls with Plus1Vote for both the General Election and Georgia Senate Runoffs. Chantalle is co-heading the Key Focus Area of Investing in Black Leaders this year, for B4B, and is adamant that the task of raising the number of black CEOs in corporate America must start early in the education, development, and foundation set for black youth.

FAQs

“Benefitting the Black community” is very broad. What do we do about that?

The initial collective was surveyed for desired focus areas and ultimately put the most popular selections to a vote. Ultimately we will focus on a select few issues per year and then begin to vet potential organizations in each of those areas. 

Is the money going to go through you or some organization?

You will fund your commitment directly to the selected nonprofit or initiative that the collective decides. If you have company donation matching, you would submit that match based upon that end recipient. At this time B4B does not intend to become a 501(c)(3) itself, but may at some point in the future if it serves the community better.

When do I actually fund my commitment? When do we start?

We will collectively fund four organizations per year in separate, individual donations to each organization. We will select and fund four organizations before the end of 2020 with our goal of making the first of four donations in August 2020.  In the future, we will determine how to space out the donations in 2021 and beyond. Part of the benefit of the collective is the journey of deciding what to fund. We will decide on focus areas in the coming weeks and begin to hear from different organizations and speakers as well.  Please contact hello@brownforblack.org if you would like to volunteer time in addition to capital to help organize our Zoom events. 

Besides financial contributions directly to organizations that this collective will decide upon, will there be regionally based events that this group can participate in?

The simple answer is we don’t know yet. This collective could be limited to virtually learning about several nonprofits and initiatives per year and funding four or it could be more.

What if I feel particularly passionate about an organization? Can I fund more?

Absolutely! We simply ask that you make your minimum commitment contribution to each nonprofit, but you can make the donation as large as you like after that!

The elder generation may be able to lend stronger financial support for this cause, but we also know that said generation is not necessarily one to take on this cause. How do we, this next generation, engage them to contribute but more importantly, learn?

Ask. Then ask again.

What is the benefit of joining this collective?

A few of us have seen the benefit of similar collective action commitments in other areas and believe it’s a great way to kick start a meaningful effort in this area. There are many reasons to join this collective, but here are a few: 

  • To learn together. An important goal of ours is to learn, and we look forward to the suggestions, proposals, and ideas from the collective 

  • Galvanize our community around a cause, working with like-minded people. Hopefully we make new friends and connections along the way

  • Combining our donor power will give us better access to organizations and speakers. I believe it will also allow us to take ourselves more seriously  

  • Leverage the wisdom of the crowd to make more informed decisions

  • It’s an opportunity to rally people around organizations you may already support and to have a larger impact on those organizations 

  • If we get large enough, we can fund specific programs within organizations vs. general use funds 

Q: I’m not brown. Can I join?

Yes! We understand the implications of the name, but we welcome anyone to join the collective and believe it will be a valuable journey for all involved. We are calling it Brown for Black to motivate, in particular, other communities of color to rally for the Black community. However, we welcome anyone to join.

Q: I want to donate anonymously. Will you publish my name anywhere?

No, we will not. While we believe that announcing your own commitment to this effort is a helpful statement to your community that you are taking a stand for equality, it is not mandatory to be public about your involvement.

What if I don’t want to contribute to the organizations the collective chooses?

While we are hoping that we select organizations that everyone supports, not all of our top choices will win. We hope that every member will still donate to each selected organization, but if a particular organization is truly something someone is against, this is not a contractual commitment.

How often will we meet with organizations to learn about their causes?

In the future we will likely fund in cycles and have meetings directly with nonprofits or to discuss nonprofits in conjunction with those cycles. This year will be compressed into six months and we will likely have educational, town hall, or nonprofit presentation meetings at least once a month.

Why are you asking for three-year commitments?

We want to make sure that our work lasts beyond the current news cycle. We also want to ensure that those who join our collective understand that we expect to be doing this for a while. It also allows for the possibility of unique, multi-year funding opportunities with organizations.