#BlackAndBrownGetDown Community Defense Fund to Give $100,000 to Black and Brown New Orleanians Affected by Hurricane Ida.

NEW ORLEANS – Our Voice Nuestra Voz (OVNV), a nation-building organization that builds solidarity with Black and Brown communities in New Orleans, is giving $100,000 to Black and
Brown community members affected by hurricane Ida. OVNV is partnering with Buddy’s House Foundation, BanchaLenguas, Newtral Groundz, Ida Support Network, and El Pueblo NOLA to give from its #BlackAndBrownGetDown Community Defense Fund. These emergency funds were raised for– and will go to– those who have been most impacted by Ida and who have been overlooked by government solutions.

On the 16th anniversary of Katrina, New Orleanians were once again faced with a devastating hurricane. Katrina showed the failure of our institutions and their systemic disregard for the most vulnerable of us. 16 years later, government solutions continue to neglect our communities. The EPA released findings earlier this month that told us what we already knew: Black and Brown people will continue to be disproportionately impacted by climate change. We must show up for our community when the government will not. It is critical that we build the infrastructure of care that is needed to support our community today and in the future. In the aftermath of hurricane Ida OVNV has been working to organize the community and resources in order to do just this. OVNV immediately began checking in with our neighbors, creating infrastructure to distribute supplies in neighborhoods, and designating support hubs throughout the city. Now we are giving directly to those impacted most through mutual aid efforts.

Through our #BlackAndBrownGetDown Community Defense Fund, OVNV will give $500 grants to 200 Black and Brown community members as emergency relief. OVNV is partnering with Buddy’s House Foundation, BanchaLenguas, Newtral Groundz, Ida Support Network, and El Pueblo NOLA to give $10,000 each from this fund. We know that when community institutions are able to build and partner together, it strengthens the fabric of our city. We are prioritizing those who have been most affected and those that continue to be left out of government solutions such as undocumented people who are ineligible for FEMA aid. As with our previous giving, barriers that are often associated with grant-giving, such as requiring a social security number or tax document, will be eliminated in order to get funds into the hands of our community members as quickly as possible. Our priority is to get relief to those that need it immediately.

At OVNV’s last #BlackAndBrownGetDown event, we launched our #BlackAndBrownGetDown Community Defense Fund. The fund was created to increase our ability to defend our people whether through direct COVID relief, supporting them when government solutions do not, or
providing bail money for those who can’t afford it. Last year the fund was able to raise and distribute nearly $250,000 to Black and Brown people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information about Our Voice Nuestra Voz, visit www.ovnv.org. To donate to the #BlackAndBrownGetDown Community Defense Fund, visit www.ovnv.org/donate/.

About Our Voice Nuestra VozOur Voice Nuestra Voz (OVNV) is a nation-building organization that builds solidarity with Black and Brown communities in New Orleans. We dismantle systems of oppression and create spaces for Black and Brown people to love, live, and thrive.