Janisha R. Gabriel Movement Protection Fund

PROTECTING OUR MOVEMENTS

We are committed to resourcing our movement partners as they organize for racial justice, climate justice, gender justice and reproductive justice — and stand on the right side of history under difficult conditions. Whether organizing to ensure all voices are heard in the election process or to end U.S. complicity in war, these bellwether groups warrant our resources and solidarity to enable them to resist, survive and thrive over time, despite ongoing threats. As a network, we understand that the safety and security of our movements are our collective responsibility.

The Janisha R. Gabriel Movement Protection Fund (MPF) moves resources rapidly and securely to protect frontline organizers facing immediate security threats, while investing in longer-term safety infrastructure. MPF protects frontline movement organizers from state repression, vigilante violence, digital attacks and institutional backlash as a result of their organizing work. We partner with movement formations — including organizations, collectives, LLCs and individuals — to move resources quickly for legal, physical and digital protection. To date, we have allocated $4.5 million to safeguard our movements.

WE KEEP US SAFE

Movements for justice, particularly those led by Black and Indigenous communities, have long faced targeted political repression and violence from the state and vigilantes. There is a rich tradition of these movements creating robust systems rooted in community, to ensure their own security, safety and wellness. When we invest in the expertise of communities who have had to grapple with threats for generations, they, in turn, keep us all safe. Movement security work bolsters the existing network of trusted security providers, and legal and digital protection services who come from and are embedded in movements.

Named after a beloved movement leader and Solidaire staff member, Janisha R. Gabriel, the MPF launched in September 2020 when a staff member who is deeply embedded in movements experienced an active shooter threat. At the same time, our movement partners began calling for support as they faced heightened security attacks from organized right-wing actors during the 2020 mass mobilizations in defense of Black lives. Knowing Solidaire was uniquely positioned to act, we rapidly launched the MPF, and Black, Indigenous, women and trans leaders guided its creation.

THE WORK AHEAD

It is more urgent than ever to move resources to movement partners, to bolster their ingenuity and vigilance. Election justice organizers witness voter suppression tactics and escalating intimidation at the polls before, during and after elections. New and proposed legislation at the federal and state levels aims to criminalize protests, stifle mutual aid and suppress freedom of speech and dissent, while shielding and incentivizing vigilante violence.

We advocate for philanthropy to fund movement protection at the scale and speed necessary to build holistic safety and security and collective care. For funders to partner responsively and securely, they must integrate safety and security into their operations and grantmaking practices, so groups are safe to reach out for help during uncertain times.