These bold leaders show that even in challenging times, hope is a powerful force. It can help us pave the way together to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.
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We all want the same things for ourselves and our families—a fair chance to lead fulfilling lives, to have our children grow up in safe, nurturing communities, and to wake up each day in a country where equity and justice are a reality.
Yet longstanding barriers litter the road to this vision. Racism, sexism, classism, ableism, and countless other injustices deny millions the opportunity to flourish. And recent months have brought division and growing threats to progress we urgently need.
These moments can feel heavy, but history reminds us that there is reason for hope, even in the darkest of moments. No one knew this better than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who fought to end racism which intensifies all other forms of discrimination. Dr. King inspired the world with his vision of thriving communities where care and compassion prevail, and people work together to end hunger, poverty, bigotry, and violence. Despite formidable obstacles, he insisted that “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
Our grantees are embracing hope and taking bold leaps to transform systems and dismantle the most stubborn barriers to a just world. Their valuable insights remind us that even in the face of setbacks, we have reasons for hope.
Repairing the past to shape a future of healing, justice, and health
Dr. Mary T. Bassett of Harvard's FXB Center for Health and Human Rights believes addressing the enduring legacy of slavery through reparations can shape a future where the racial wealth gap no longer holds generations of Black communities back. Dr. Bassett challenges us to imagine what's possible when we confront historical wrongs to create the kind of healthier, more just society that we all deserve.
She offers a poignant reminder from the lesser known ending to the parable of Pandora's box: “When Pandora opens the box, out flies all manner of evils into the world. But sitting here at the bottom of the box is its only remaining item, hope.”
How reparations can begin to redress longstanding harms.
Finding new ways to continue supporting diversity in higher education
Although the U.S. Supreme Court's decision banning affirmative action has made building more diverse, inclusive college campuses much more challenging, bold leaders like Dr. Idia Thurston and Dr. Margarita Alegria—both women of color in academia—are not backing down.
They recognize that a diverse healthcare workforce is essential for compassionate, culturally sensitive, high-quality care. Their research has found specific ways to recruit, retain, and promote racially and ethnically diverse faculty, staff, and students in this post-affirmative-action era. They are proving that progress is truly possible even in the face of setbacks.
Supporting respectful childbirth
Everyone capable of giving birth deserves care that honors their dignity and keeps them safe. But deep structural barriers prevent this, especially for many people of color, immigrants, and those without health insurance. That’s why our country is in the midst of a devastating maternal health crisis, with Black women at greatest risk. Jennie Joseph, a certified midwife with over 40 years of experience, is changing that. Through her organization, Commonsense Childbirth, Inc., Joseph provides care rooted in respect, education, and empowerment.
Her work improves outcomes and creates a maternal health system that treats every family with dignity. Her mission is deeply personal given her own traumatic experience in a healthcare system that dismissed her humanity. She has transformed that pain into purpose, building a legacy that goes beyond delivering healthy babies. By training midwives, doulas and community health workers, Joseph is ensuring that future generations are ready to advance health equity by offering the type of compassionate care that all families deserve.
Jennie Joseph shares how her personal experience shaped her path to providing respectful care to all throughout pregnancy and beyond.
Safe, respectful, accessible workplaces that pay fair wages are essential for a real opportunity to thrive. Through her organization One Fair Wage, Saru Jayaraman is working to end subminimum wages that disproportionately affect women, single mothers, people of color, immigrants and disabled workers. Longstanding biases deeply embedded in our laws governing wages allow employers in 43 states to pay tipped workers a subminimum wage of just $2.13 per hour. This injustice is a direct legacy of slavery, and its impact is vast, putting millions of restaurant and service workers at risk for harassment and abuse and forcing their families into poverty.
Educating the public about how little employers pay tipped workers generates outrage that One Fair Wage is channeling into action. That's why ballot measures, a vitally important form of direct democracy, have been so effective in getting states and localities to end the subminimum wage.
In places like Chicago and D.C., her work shows what's possible when communities come together to demand fair pay.
Defending policy tools that advance racial justice
Grassroots efforts are powerful, and progress requires bold policies. RWJF is prioritizing the ballot measure process and race-conscious policies to counter laws and policies created to deny health and opportunity to people based on their race, class, and gender.
One of our partners, Chris Melody Fields Figueredo, executive director of BISC Foundation and BISC, notes how “A thriving democracy empowers people to determine the outcome of their own lives. The ballot measure process is a tool that can help them do that, even in spaces where power often feels limited.” In 24 states, ballot measures give voters a way to create change like expanding Medicaid, increasing the minimum wage, ending the subminimum wage, providing paid family and medical leave, and securing access to abortion.
Similarly, we are collaborating with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Dariely Rodriguez, deputy chief counsel at the Lawyers’ Committee, has discussed how race-conscious policies advance equity and support communities that continue to face systemic exclusion and discrimination. She notes “At the Lawyers’ Committee, we know that race is an inextricable part of our identity, shaping how we experience daily life. Race-conscious policies encompass an umbrella of initiatives to address systemic barriers, ensure equal opportunity, and provide remedies that match needs.”
A call to hope
These leaders are showing that even in challenging times, hope can be a powerful force for change. Through persistence, coalition-building, and collaboration, we can pave the way together to a future where health isn't a privilege but a right.
About the Author
Najaf Ahmad, senior managing editor, works with staff and grantees to share stories and perspectives on the Foundation’s blog.