9 Places To Donate And Give Back

August 27, 2024

This year, Juneteenth is on Monday, June 19th, 2023. It’s only the third year in American history that this day has been a federally recognized holiday. Many kids learn about Juneteenth in school (otherwise referred to as Jubilee Day, Emancipation Day, and Freedom Day). But just like other federally recognized holidays, if you want to do more to teach your kids about what Juneteenth really is — an annual commemoration of June 19th, 1865, when federal troops came to Galveston, Texas, to ensure that the enslaved people there were freed two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued — look no further.

If you’re searching for material ways to contribute and commemorate the day, there are plenty of organizations that could use your support. From organizations that advocate for trans rights, to groups that run coding boot camps for Black girls, to groups that focus on uplifting fathers of color, here are 9 great organizations or actions you can take this Juneteenth.

9 Great Organizations To Support This Juneteenth (And Year-Round)

The Marsha P. Johnson Institute

The Marsha P. Johnson Institute (MPJI) was created to honor the legacy of Marsha P. Johnson herself, a Black trans woman and famous LGTBQ+ rights activist — known best for her huge role in the Stonewall Uprising in 1969. MPJI “protects and defends the rights of BLACK transgender people” by organizing, advocating, and more. The MPJI institute, per their website, was “founded both as a response to the murders of BLACK trans women and women of color and how that is connected to our exclusion from social justice issues, namely racial, gender and reproductive justice, as well as gun violence.” By donating, you can help the MPJI “employ BLACK trans people, build more strategic campaigns, launch winning initiatives,” and more.

You can donate to the MPJI here.

Fathers’ Uplift

Fathers’ Uplift is designed to serve fathers of color — though it does serve all dads and even moms and kids — “who desire to overcome challenges and become a positive presence in their children’s lives.” The vast majority of Fathers’ Uplift clients are boys and men, and they also provide services to youth (from ages 5 to 24) growing up in houses without dads. They provide therapy and aim to make mental health services accessible to minority and low-income communities. Their work is incredibly valuable.

You can donate to Fathers’ Uplift here.

The National Black Justice Coalition

The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) has been America’s “leading national civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, asexual, transgender, queer+ and same gender loving people” since 2003. They also serve people who are HIV+ and aim to end racism, homophobia, and stigma. The organization advocates against bills like the “don’t say, gay, black, or trans” legislation entering state houses right now and against anti-transgender violence. At a time when the rights of trans kids and adults are under attack, they’re a worthy cause to donate to.

You can donate to the NBJC here.

Black Girls Code

Black Girls Code is a youth-focused organization that builds “pathways for young women of color … by introducing them to computer programming and technology.” The organization is working to close the opportunity gap for Black women and girls in the tech sector, an industry that is dominated by white people and mostly men. They run workshops, summer camps, code clubs, and more and are a great way to invest in the future.

You can donate to Black Girls CODE here.

The National Black Child Development Institute

The National Black Child Development Institute (NBCDI) is a nonprofit that has been running for 50 years, focusing for decades on “achieving positive outcomes for vulnerable children who suffer from the dual legacies of poverty and racial discrimination.” The organization was launched in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement and advocates for the education, care, and health of Black kids and families. They work with kids from birth through 8 years old.

You can donate to the NBCDI here.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund

The NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund, founded in 1940 under Thurgood Marshall, is another legacy racial justice organization that works to make “structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities and achieve racial justice.” They do so by being the country’s first civil and human rights law firm, where they work on issues ranging from criminal justice to education to protecting voting rights. Their work is vital at a time when voting rights are under attack.

You can donate to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund here.

The Okra Project

The Okra Project is a collective that operates in New Jersey, Philadelphia and New York. Because 34% of Black trans people live in extreme poverty, The Okra Project’s mission “is to hire Black trans staff to visit the homes of Black trans people in need” by providing “free, delicious and nutritious meals to Black trans people experiencing food insecurity.”

“For Black people, in particular, the kitchen is such a place of family lineage. It’s a place of community. It’s a place of love,” Okra Project founder Ianne Fields Steward says. “Daily life occurs in the kitchen. And so to have that kitchen be filled with someone who looks, loves, and lives like you, is a luxury and a joy.”

You can donate to the Okra Project here.

Support Black-Owned Bookstores

Support Black authors and shop at Black-owned bookstores in your city. Below is a list that Glory Edim, founder and host of the podcast Well-Read Black Girl and founder of the Well-Read Black Girl reading network reposted in June of 2020 of many Black-owned bookstores that might be in your city.

After all, “Black bookstores are not just in the mission to sell books. Their mission is to make sure that the information they are carrying expands their community and expands the minds of the people in the community,” W. Paul Coates, founder, and director of Black Classic Press explains.

National Museum of African American History & Culture

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is the only national museum “devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture.” To date, the museum has close to 100,000 members and has collected more than 40,000 artifacts, according to the website. “This Museum will tell the American story through the lens of African American history and culture,” Lonnie G. Bunch, Founding Director of NNAACH said. “This is America’s Story and this museum is for all Americans.”

You can donate to the NMAAHC here.

The Bail Project

The history of the Bail Project begins more than 10 years ago when The Bronx Freedom Fund launched in New York City. That organization was the first of its kind at the time and set the stage for The Bail Project to launch in 2018. The Bail Project aims to combat mass incarceration and the racial and economic inequities within it by disrupting the money bail system. The project aims to see a day where the court system, specifically the pretrial phase, is “grounded in the presumption of innocence for all, regardless of race, economic status, or accusation.”

You can donate to the Bail Project here.