Dreaming of Joy: Finding Light As We Reimagine Power and Possibility
In September 2024, Surdna President Don Chen joined a panel of philanthropic leaders—Flozell Daniels, Jr. (CEO of the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation), Mayra Peters-Quintero (executive director of Abundant Futures Fund), and Vanessa Mason (principal at Omidyar Network)—for a conversation moderated by Bridgespan partner and Dreaming in Color podcast host Darren Isom. Recorded live at the Surdna Foundation offices in New York City during UN General Assembly week, the group dives into an in-depth discussion about building a more equitable world through racial justice, cross-racial solidarity, and community-driven solutions.
This bonus episode of Dreaming in Color is part of Building a More Equitable Future: Tools and Inspiration for Philanthropists, Nonprofits, and Others Working Toward Racial Equity, a Bridgespan compendium of knowledge content that shares a vision on pushing forward when it comes to equity.
Join the conversation as the panelists explore the role of relationships in movement building, the power of joy and imagination in sustaining hope, and the importance of investing in intergenerational leadership. They discuss the challenges of systemic change, the need for incremental wins, and how to create space for collective healing and repair.
“These days when we think about broken systems, there are so many, of course, and I think one thing that I always look for is who’s out there, who’s really putting forward that positive vision of racial inclusion, gender inclusion, all types of positive things in our society, and can also chart a path between here and there and identify the steps. Those steps, if you look at them individually, they may look like incremental change, but we got to have some building blocks, some steps to achieve along the way to get to that vision. The folks who can kind of connect those dots, and get from point A to point B, I think are in particularly good position.” – Don Chen, Surdna Foundation president
Listen to the full conversation.
