Legacy in Motion: Why Black Sustainability, Inc. Is Joining #Give828 2025

Every year on August 28, Black-led nonprofits across the nation unite under #Give828, a day dedicated to investing in Black futures through philanthropy. This year, Black Sustainability, Inc. (BSI) is honored to participate once again, bringing our mission of advancing Black-led environmental solutions to this national day of giving.

August 28 has long been a significant date in Black history. From the 1963 March on Washington, to Jackie Robinson breaking Major League Baseball’s color barrier, to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the day represents both struggle and resilience.

For BSI, the meaning runs even deeper. It is a reminder that Black sustainability has always been central to Black survival and liberation.

Enslaved Africans carried agricultural knowledge across the Atlantic. Cooperative land ownership and mutual aid systems supported our communities after emancipation. Leaders like Fannie Lou Hamer turned land into liberation through the Freedom Farm Cooperative. Today, Afro-ecologists and climate justice advocates continue this tradition, demanding sovereignty over our food systems, land, and resources.

This year’s #Give828 campaign also coincides with Black Business Month, which recognizes the entrepreneurs, innovators, and visionaries who have built economic resilience in our communities.

At BSI, we embody this legacy through our Zero Waste Store, our Afro Ecology training programs, and our emphasis on community-based enterprise. Supporting our work on August 28 means investing in both Black business models and Black-led sustainability solutions that are transforming our future.

Philanthropy in the Black community has never only been about wealth. It has been about sacrifice, vision, and collective responsibility. This year, we draw inspiration from those who came before us:

• Oseola McCarty, who left school in the sixth grade to care for her aunt, worked as a washerwoman for decades, and later donated her life savings of $150,000 to provide scholarships for young people. “Hard work gives your life meaning,” she said, a reminder that philanthropy is about dedication, not dollar signs.

• Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, who showed how grassroots movements can restore the land while empowering women and building political power.

• Booker T. Washington & Madam C.J. Walker, who combined institution-building with reinvestment in their communities, ensuring that education and enterprise were tools of collective uplift.

• Herman Russell, who built one of the largest Black-owned real estate empires in the nation and used his resources to support the civil rights movement — even bailing out Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other activists.

• Clark Arrington, a contemporary leader in socially responsible investing, who has worked to ensure that capital strengthens Black-led organizations and grassroots movements.

These figures show us that Black business, sustainability, and philanthropy are deeply connected and that every act of giving, no matter the size, can change the course of history.

This year’s theme, Legacy in Motion: 10 Years of Collective Power and Black-Led Solutions, celebrates a decade of BSI’s work.

Over the last 10 years we have:

• Trained youth through Afro-Ecology programs,

• Connected communities across the diaspora through international Learning Journeys,

• Supported Black sustainability practitioners through fellowships, and

• Convened the world’s largest gathering of Black sustainability leaders at our annual Summit.

As we prepare for the 10th Annual Black Sustainability Summit in Ghana, West Africa, we recognize that our work is only possible because of the sacrifices and investments of those who came before us and from the support of people like you.

On August 28, 2025, we invite you to make a gift to Black Sustainability, Inc. Every contribution, whether large or small, helps us expand Afro-Ecology training, preserve cultural and ecological knowledge, and build the next generation of Black sustainability leaders.

This is more than a campaign. It is a chance to continue a lineage of resilience — to honor McCarty, Maathai, Russell, Walker, Washington, Arrington, and countless others who invested in Black futures.

This August 28, join us in keeping the Legacy in Motion.

Donate here: https://www.give828.org/donate/Black-Sustainability