Daily Archives: February 11, 2022

A new platform will detect and characterize GNSS spoofing operations using artificial intelligence and commercially available data

Geospatial intelligence company Orbital Insight has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to deliver a technology platform for identifying intentional GNSS interference and manipulation operations across the world.

The platform will leverage commercially available data to detect GNSS spoofing, where falsified or manipulated GNSS signals are used to confuse adversaries or obscure illicit activities, presenting risk to both government and commercial operations. Orbital Insight was selected through DoDs Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) solicitation process seeking commercial solutions to counter the growing threat of GNSS disruptions to national security.

Research suggests that Russia conducted nearly 10,000 spoofing operations from 2016 to 2018 alone.

The new technology will significantly improve situational awareness for warfighters, intelligence analysts and safety-of-life applications. Orbital Insights platform will leverage its multisensor data stack, artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities to alert analysts and operators to potential jamming and spoofing events, techniques commonly used by adversarial actors to cover up activities or sabotage operations.

The platform leverages a suite of geolocation data satellites, AIS, ADS-B and internet-of-things devices along with new advanced algorithms designed to automatically recognize anomalies linked to spoofing, complemented by research intelligence from the nonprofit partner Center for Advanced Defense Studies. Research suggests that Russia conducted nearly 10,000 spoofing operations from 2016 to 2018 alone.

Helping organizations understand whats happening on and to the Earth is at the heart of what Orbital Insight does, and spoofing is a national security problem that has proven challenging to solve, said Kevin OBrien, CEO, Orbital Insight. GNSS spoofing is essentially a data problem, and Orbital Insights AI and deep data stack can help identify spoofing, along with other major humanitarian and environmental challenges. This is a perfect example of private and public sectors uniting through technology.

Other areas that may be addressed: identifying drug trafficking, illegal fishing, sea-borne piracy and unintentional commercial aviation disruptions

The technology has broad implications that extend beyond situational awareness of intentional GNSS interference. Other national security, humanitarian and environmental challenges may be addressed, such as identifying drug trafficking, illegal fishing, sea-borne piracy and unintentional commercial aviation disruptions.

Federal agencies are increasingly complementing their systems with commercial technology and data sources that are unclassified, universally accessible, and shareable with allies. The National Air and Space Intelligence Center will be the first customer to utilize the technology. Upon successful integration, the goal will be to expand this platform widely across the defense, intelligence and civil communities.

Orbital Insight received the DoD contract on the heels of announcing a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to deliver a computer-vision model that uses synthetic data to detect novel classes of objects.

The company also recently launched a new class of multiclass object-detection algorithms within its flagship GO platform to help the intelligence community monitor and differentiate activity at thousands of areas of interest. Like all of Orbital Insights products, these algorithms are being developed within an ethics framework that shapes the companys work and values privacy.

Image: matejmo/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

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DOD tasks Orbital Insight to help identify intentional GNSS disruptions - GPS World magazine

By Megan Hale | Reporter

Baylors Undergraduate Research in Science and Technology (BURST) is a student-run organization with the hopes of amplifying research opportunities and building a community of knowledge and understanding.

According to the BURST website, the organization provides a variety of resources to help students stay aware of current scientific research, explore their individual interests and develop skills that will aid them in their present as well as future endeavors.

BURST serves to connect undergraduates to the research opportunities that Baylor has to offer both on and off campus and also educates members about research and how they can apply it in their future careers as physicians or scientists, Houston junior and Scientia editor-in-chief Isha Thapar said. It shows the importance that research doesnt have to be a mundane activity but something really applicable to your future career that you can learn a lot from and grow from.

BURST members participate in service opportunities, socials, workshops and more. They also have access to special university events such as URSA Scholars Week during the spring and Research Internship Day in the fall. These events allow members to share their own research findings with both their peers and faculty across campus.

What makes BURST unique is that we are at the size where we can connect members to a lot of research opportunities and hear from really cool speakers and lecturers, but also small enough that we have an individual connection with our members, Isha said.

Undergraduate students studying the STEM disciplines are encouraged to begin research as early as their freshman year. BURST seeks to act as a resource for students, supporting them through this transition.

I feel like all of us at BURST feel like we played at least a part in the R1 research status by fostering research interests and encouraging students and just raising awareness in the student body, Houston junior and BURST publicity chair Ruhi Thapar said.

One of the main ways BURST seeks to immerse students in the world of research is through the BURST Journal Clubs. These small-group discussion clubs, often led by upperclassmen, encourage members to exercise leadership and learn from their peers. Discussions can range from biology to epidemiology to psychology to ethics.

Weve found that people coming into college dont have an understanding of how research works and how research articles work, and they have a hard time reading scientific literature because they dont have exposure to it, Chicago junior and vice president of BURST Journal Clubs Sanjana Ade said. The literature can be very dense and very convoluted at times, so having these journal clubs helps people learn how to read journal articles and get used to that material.

Developing the ability to understand scientific literature aids students not only in the classroom but also in their own pursuits of scientific discovery. Taking the skills learned in these journal clubs, BURST encourages students to practice communicating technical information through their own written work.

Scientia is a Baylor professional scientific research journal that provides students with a platform to publish their own undergraduate research. Every aspect of Scientia is student-run, including the writing, editing, design and final publication.

Students edit the papers, and then we send them to a faculty review board for further editing, and then students completely design the publication, Isha said. The print is also funded by Student Government, so its really just a student publication. We want to give Baylor students who are conducting amazing research the opportunity to publish that research.

According to the Scientia website, the vision of this publication is to promote awareness of student research, enhance research experiences and encourage students to explore various avenues of research.

Anyone whos curious about research is bound to find an interesting paper in Scientia that appeals to them, Isha said.

Ruhi said she has gained not only research from BURST but also multiple types of connections.

You have to be intentional about the communities you put yourself in, and I think that the communities and the people Ive surrounded myself by have completely changed who I am and then, subsequently, who Im going to be, Ruhi said. The connections Ive gained professionally but also personally through BURST have given me more than just research.

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Baylor is BURSTing with student research opportunities - The Baylor Lariat

ATLANTA, Feb.9, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --Dirty Dog's Car Wash (Dirty Dog's) announced a strategic growth equity investment from Salt Lake City-based The Cynosure Group (Cynosure) to fund the company's growth and expansion into key markets with an aim to open an additional 25 locations nationwide over the next 36 months. In addition to Cynosure's investment, Dirty Dog's also arranged a new credit facility with Synovus Bank to further facilitate this rapid expansion.

"This strategic partnership not only provides Dirty Dog's with the necessary capital to rapidly expand, but it also provides us with additional resources, mentorship and leadership from a group that has a demonstrated track record of partnering with, and collaboratively growing, founder and management-owned businesses," said Martin Emmett, owner and founder of Dirty Dog's. "At this time, we are also excited to be partnering with Synovus Bank who has supported our growth since inception," added Emmett.

Started in 2018, Dirty Dog's currently has locations in Georgia and Alabama. While COVID-19 shuttered countless industries, contact-free car washes experienced growth for several reasons, including being socially distanced and attainably priced. In addition, the contact-free model requires less staff and creates greater time efficiency. To that end, Dirty Dog's experienced strong growth during COVID, and with that comes plans to expand. Plans include expanding into the Florida market, with locations in Melbourne, Tampa, North Ft. Lauderdale, Port Richey, Daytona, Ocala, Royal Palm Beach, Brooksville, Miami, Ft. Myers, Cape Coral and West Palm Beach all opening in the near-future.

"Dirty Dog's has established itself as a leader in a competitive yet growing market," said Andrew Braithwaite, Managing Director at Cynosure. "We are proud to recognize the company's unbridled growth and relentless focus on its customer and community. We are excited to form this new partnership and look forward to being a part of their rapid scaling and expansion."

When Emmett stepped away from a career in law to invest in a contact-free car wash model, he applied innovations such as an enhanced customer experience, elevated branding and quality design. It was this front-end investment that paid off. "We wanted to launch a business model that focused on quality user experience at every step," said Emmett. "So, we created a car wash that is modern, clean, affordable and functional for everyone, with all the bells and whistles."

As part of this strategy, they enlisted a branding firm known for building brands for professional sports teams, to create a playful, intentional, community-minded brand. Among its brand attributes, Dirty Dog's has always supported teachers, law enforcement and first responders through monthly events, discounts and their "Helping Heroes" program.

In 2021 alone, Dirty Dogs donated more than 10,000 car washes to clean squad cars in the local communities it serves.

"Community investment is a major pillar of our business model, First in Service, First in Community," said Keisha Escoffery, COO, Dirty Dog's. "From the start of our business, we made sure that our local frontline workers knew we were here to support them, which intensified during the pandemic."

By prioritizing a clean, modern, self-serve design, Dirty Dog's built customer loyalty, and their dedication to community has further instilled trust and loyalty.

"We were offering cleanliness at a time when people needed it," said Emmett. "Even in a down economy, we were determined to keep our prices affordable and to continue supporting our communities and, in turn, they have continued to support us."

About Dirty Dogs Car Wash

Founded in 2018, Dirty Dogs Car Washwanted to create a different kind of car wash experience, one fueled by our commitment to our customers, employees and the communities where we are located. We know anyone can wash a car, and we believe our values,First in Service, First in Community, are what set us apart in the industry.Dirty Dogs Car Wash provides fast, efficient and affordable car washes. https://www.linkedin.com/company/dirtydogscarwash/about/ https://www.facebook.com/DirtyDogsCarWash

For more information on theirservices and locations, visit dirtydogscarwash.com.

About The Cynosure Group

The Cynosure Group is an independent alternatives asset manager and advisor that makes long-term investments on behalf of families, foundations, and other like-minded institutions.

Cynosure's direct investments target partnerships with founders and management-owners of profitable small to mid-sized companies who will remain meaningful owners of their business.

For more information, visit http://www.cynosuregroup.com.

Media Contact

Liz Lapidus, Liz Lapidus PR, +1 (404) 219-3113, liz@lizlapiduspr.com

Keisha Escoffery, Dirty Dog's Car Wash, 917-929-1190, keisha@dirtydogscarwash.com

SOURCE Liz Lapidus PR

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Dirty Dog's Car Wash Receives $35 Million Growth Equity Investment From The Cynosure Group to Fund New Store And Market Expansion - WFMZ Allentown

Colony Collapse Disorder is the phenomenon that occurs when the majority of worker bees in a colony disappear and leave behind a queen, plenty of food and a few nurse bees to care for the remaining immature bees and the queen. Once thought to pose a major long term threat to bees, reported cases of CCD have declined substantially over the last five years. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

I love science and history. And I guess I hate science and history. Mental illness is in every twist and turn of my science and history, imbedded in my DNA, in my family, in my culture and in my country. But I read because not only do they give me the bad and the ugly, they also provide understanding of cycles of weather patterns, cycles of imperialism and power, cycles of seasons and cycles of generations. It gives me patience. It makes me laugh at the way we see other cultures and other lifeforms. It gives me ancient blueprints and guides. Anne Lamott says, How do we celebrate paradox, let alone manage it all? We remember mustard seeds, that the littlest things will have great results. We do the smallest, realest, most human things. We water what is dry.

The colony of Los Angeles has collapsed. If you do not see it, you are living in a virtual reality staring into a carefully spun screen rather than out the open windows. You do not hear the silence, you do not smell the stench and you do not notice the empty rooms. The Environmental Protection Agency says that when a bee hive develops Colony Collapse Disorder, there may be several reasons, such as disease, pesticide poisoning, stress due to management practices such as transportation to multiple locations across the country for providing pollination services, changes to the habitat, inadequate forage/poor nutrition, and potential immune-suppressing stress on bees.

This is not an essay on bees, but I am seeing parallels to the collapse of intentional communities in the tattered thrift-store remnants of the British Empire in California. California is the last edge of the new world. The refugees of New England are settled here. We have no place else to go.

From 1988 to 2013, I struggled with severe mental illness. As a missionary kid in New Mexico, I was shamed, confused, enraged and terrified, caught between neglect, violence and the paradoxes of what I know to be true in one culture and what I know to be true in another. I was given free hope and some community support in the board and care home provided by Homes for Life Foundation, and in the I-CAN program in Pasadena which became a Community Mental Health Center under the Department of Mental Health. If I had not had these, I would be dead, sacked out on illegal drugs in a tent on Skid Row or in jail, three outcomes which some in our society seem to believe can only be managed by forced assimilation through education, economic sanction, withholding primary healthcare, or even scientific euthanization of the useless eaters.

Killing or mechanizing bees and humans is not sustainable. Everything is connected to the flow of abundance. Killing ourselves through stress is not the answer, nor is living with walking corpses who are becoming desperately violent on every corner. But how do we manage paradox, let alone manage it all? Or, like Rumi, we can ask how to get back to that place where birds know how to nest?

While in twenty-five years in community mental health, the L.A. Department of Mental Health marketed at great expense the concept of Recovery. I found I-CAN after nine years doing everything possible to navigate society and my own confusion. I was in abject hopelessness, at zero resource. My family was at zero resource. I had no community. So I latched on to this concept of Recovery, and came to worship the idea that if I continued to be compliant, took scientific drugs approved by the FDA and squeezed into the tiny square box insisted upon in behavioral mental health treatment in the United States, I would come to that nirvana of Recovery. If I sat in my chair in a support group long enough, life would re-emerge.

Some practices remind me of Richard Henry Pratts attempts at the Carlyle Indian School: Kill the Indian, save the man. And when the experiment fails (when you find you cannot make a milk cow out of a honey bee), the statistics show that bees are useless. This substitute for science descends into insanity, a result of the arrogance of limited perspective; if the scientist, Isaac Newton, in the 1600s had found an uncharged cellphone by his bed, he might have collected it as an art object or stuck it in a box for future reference. The technology would have been useless to him disconnected from a tutorial or a wifi tower, and how ridiculous he would have come across in a freshman college class in 2022.

Empirical science is in its infancy in social work. Science is only as good as the innate work of the bees; whether or not you understand what you are looking at, you will find out why they are essential, one way or the other. And community systems have not been permitted in the United States. Education is focused on masculine projects. Civilizations collapse without intact communities and, by the way, villages cannot be sustained without the independent business networking of mothers. Women are natural community builders when respected, supported and left to our own devices. Educating a workforce includes more than an assembly of lines, cubicles and paperwork.

Since 1917, when Mississippi became the last state to pass compulsory education, we have been given the American dream. And in mental health, we were given grand examples of the diagnoses of great European and American leaders who had suffered and risen to greatness. These great leaders are not the leaders who lived in hogans in the desert, nor were they the mothers of the black and white politicians, scientists and artists who raised them. When I began my journey, I believed that I could become strong enough to contribute to my country. Then I thought perhaps I could save my family. And then I came to believe that the only person I could ever rescue was myself. I was wrong. When colonies collapse, the bees are at the mercy of something outside themselves.

We cannot DO self-care when our environment has become poisoned by the seven sins, and only the rich believe they have the means to escape. I guess they could build giant air-rockets and transport the bees off to Titan to let the planet recover, as the British did with their poor and criminalized, shipping prostitutes and murderers to America and Australia, but finally, are the British any better off having deleted the problem?

The State has chosen to deport or oppress our workers, refusing citizenship to many, making debtors and slaves of the college students bred to be our nobles, doctors and Brahmans. The contamination of eugenics in behavioral mental health has created an epidemic of anosognosia in the United States. Now the assimilated can decide which cultures, genders and thinkers are insane and how they should be managed.

Researchers are deaf to the voices of history, geography and all voices not transmitted through established digital frequencies. Special Ed is the State solution for neurodiversity or difference. Unassimilated mothers do not teach the courses on the observed psychology of children from the perspectives of their own languages and cultures. And so, clients are beaten, forgotten, psychologically tortured, isolated, fingerprinted, drugged and finally put to bed. And so the endless search for more beds, in jails, convalescent homes, tiny house villages, tool sheds on the freeways and beautiful new apartment complexes micromanaged and locked in after 5 pm.

How do we get back to the place where bees know how to hive, where unstressed mothers teach each other to breast feed, stop and rock and to discipline gently? Where artists are heard? I would ask if corporate scientists are temperamentally capable of accessing sensory input beyond what they see in front of their physical eyes?

I never used to think of writing as hard work, or even necessary. Nor, after years of labeling by every white male psychiatrists with no understandingof art, of the feminine principle or of indigenous wisdomdid I ever imagine that I have a reason to exist or that I could have a gift, that of beeing; I spend my days playing in the petals and pooping in the hive. I am a worker bee, and I am dying too. Death is a gift of urgency and energy with the beautiful peace of knowing that you are disabled and able to work in a flow in teams.

Animals and plants teach us how our teeny weeny individual strengths and innate wisdom contribute to the well-being at least of this continent, if not the world, if not the rest of space. I cannot be an activist in Los Angeles. I can only bee. Part of the beeing is sitting with Creativity who calls me gently to the network of restoration of independent intentional communities in Los Angeles.

Heart Forward LA is a restoration project for human intentional communities in Los Angeles. The Clubhouse model is focused on those diagnosed by State criteria, but it a model of the ancient and the contemporary movement to restore urban connected villages where seniors and the disabled, the orphans of insanity, workers, pets, plants and children can dwell together again. It is a pilot that can be replicated. If it can be done at the last seam of emigration on the planet, within twenty miles of the beach, with the most, most marginalized, it can be done anywhere. A clubhouse. A meeting place. The beginning of village. It wont look like what we think. It will look like what we dance in time.

I end with the quote by the EPA with which I began: Once thought to pose a major long term threat to bees, reported cases of CCD have declined substantially over the last five years. Who knows why? Perhaps the pandemic has made an impact on Colony Collapse Disorder, or restoration has been made by some natural cycle of weather or planetary tilt, or maybe bees are returning because of continuing teamwork among bees, beekeepers, scientists and connoisseurs who love their honey?

***

Mad in America hosts blogs by a diverse group of writers. These posts are designed to serve as a public forum for a discussionbroadly speakingof psychiatry and its treatments. The opinions expressed are the writers own.

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Consternation of the Bees - Mad In America - Mad in America

Speaker 1: (00:00)

A new jobs program is aimed at helping underserved young people while improving communities across California. The state is putting 185 million in the Californians for all youth job Corps, where 16 to 30 year olds with a variety of challenges may get their first chance to a career. San Diego will seem more than 19 million from the program. The second largest allocation in the state. Joining me with more information about the program is California volunteers, chief service officer Josh Friday, and Josh, welcome to the show.

Speaker 2: (00:34)

Great to be with you, California

Speaker 1: (00:36)

Already has active job core centers. Why do we need new Californians for all youth job core program?

Speaker 2: (00:44)

We need this brand new program, which is a collaboration between California volunteers and local governments throughout the state, because the need is so high. We've seen this pandemic have an incredible effect on young people on unemployment and especially on communities of color. And those have been hardest hit. So this is a tough for the state to invest in not just helping our communities by creating jobs where people are gonna be serving their communities in really important ways. But this is also a chance for us to invest in people's futures and the governor and the legislature were very passionate about that. And it's why they wanted to create this program

Speaker 1: (01:17)

Who is this intended to help, but what kind of youth with what kind of challenges

Speaker 2: (01:22)

This program is very intentional about focusing on hiring the most underserved youth youth that are low income youth that are unemployed or out of school that are justice involved are transitioning from foster care or engaged with mental health or substance abuse systems. We are very intentional about making sure that we're targeting that population investing in them. We're calling on them to serve and we're giving 'em a chance for a successful career.

Speaker 1: (01:48)

And what kinds of jobs and job training will be offered.

Speaker 2: (01:52)

Every person that goes through this program is gonna have wraparound services from their city. That includes everything from helping learn how to prepare a resume to leadership training and network training. And these young people are gonna be doing a variety of critical work on issues like climate change and food insecurity. COVID 19 recovery. They're gonna be working on education disparities in communities. They're gonna be doing river cleanups, uh, and climate work, urban greening, and really a variety of work that the city deems important to the entire community, which is why we really think this is such a win-win program. It's a win for the young people who are gonna get a job that pays with dignity at a minimum of $15 an hour, often higher in some cities. And it's a win for the community because these young people are gonna be serving the community and doing work that matters.

Speaker 1: (02:39)

Tell us more about the case management for the young people involved in the program. Cause you gonna be coming in with somewhat troubled backgrounds. We

Speaker 2: (02:47)

Learned from doing research and learning about what other programs exist, what has worked, and what's not worked from best practices that it's really critical to provide wraparound services to these young people, to make sure that they have support, that they are receiving training, that when they finish the program, they have certificates with certain skills that will allow them to go into new careers. So we made sure that of the 185 million that was appropriated to cities and counties throughout California, that cities and counties had the flexibility to use some of that money, not just to pay these young people, but to also pay for these really important wraparound services.

Speaker 1: (03:23)

Now, the money for the new job Corps program, as you say, is being divided up among cities and counties, will each city be able to decide how best to use the money?

Speaker 2: (03:33)

We were very intentional about making sure that this program was flexible. We wanted to make sure that mayors and local governments, uh, were able to use this money to meet their community needs. So while we provided some guidelines, like the young people have to be between the ages of 16 and 30 and they have to meet one of the important qualifications about being low income or underemployed or justice involved, we made sure that these mayors and the local leaders had the ability to put those young people to work in a way that helped their community. So yes, we built quite a bit of flexibility into this program. And

Speaker 1: (04:08)

How long is the new job Corps program supposed to last?

Speaker 2: (04:12)

This program is funded by the legislature and the governors for the next two years and cities and local governments will have the discretion to decide whether they wanna set it up as a summer program or a year long program. But right now we're focusing on making this successful for the next two years now.

Speaker 1: (04:28)

What are your hopes for the young people who will be involved in the program, will their participation help them start a career?

Speaker 2: (04:36)

Our hope is, is that we're not just investing in young people to be able to start a and be able to be on a pathway to a successful career, but we're also inspiring them to a career in public service, to a career where they get to do work. That's meaningful to the community, meaningful and purposeful to the broader society. And we really hope that with this program, with the mentorship, that's gonna come with it with the different training. That's gonna come with it, that we're not just creating jobs, but we're creating jobs where people are committed to service for the rest of their lives. And that's what we're really excited about with this new program.

Speaker 1: (05:08)

How do young people sign up for the

Speaker 2: (05:10)

Program? Young people can sign up through their cities as the cities roll this program out, the cities are gonna be selecting the young people. And we just launched phase one of this program, which is 150 million investment in the 13 largest cities in the state of California. We're gonna be launching phase two very soon, which is for the additional 35 million to smaller cities and counties that apply through a competitive process. So if your city is one of the cities that's participating in this, you can apply through the city. Or many of the cities are also gonna be working with local CBOs, local community based organizations to provide the actual job opportunities. And you're gonna be able to apply through them as well.

Speaker 1: (05:49)

Okay. Then I've been speaking with California volunteers, chief service officer Josh Friday about the new Californians for all youth job Corps program. Thank you so much, Josh. Thank you.

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San Diego will soon be hiring youth to work in community service-oriented jobs - KPBS

As we celebrate Black History Month, heres a radical idea. What if we stop denigrating Black people and start loving them?

You might be thinking: What is she talking about? Who openly denigrates Black people in 2022? It turns out, we all do.

Media outlets dedicate more coverage to Black deaths than to Black brilliance. Movies about the Black experience often feature a parade of trauma storylines. Even earnest charities and foundations, in fundraising appeals, routinely call Black young people at-risk, Black neighborhoods blighted and Black communities marginalized.

Repeating such tropes has dire consequences. Cognitive science tells us that the pervasive use of stigmatizing language and images can arouse fear and trigger negative associations in the greater public consciousness. Research from Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman and others shows how we are wired to react automatically and draw on familiar narratives. Even well-intentioned foundations and nonprofits inadvertently dehumanize population groups if they repeatedly link them to their deficits. This can contribute to how employers, teachers, investors, police officers, health care workers and others treat and judge Black people, which can ultimately diminish the life outcomes of the populations that these charities seek to improve. More harmful, these narratives affect how Black people think of themselves these narratives get internalized and can affect self-esteem and resilience.

I remember one time a local newspaper ranked certain neighborhoods in Detroit among the most dangerous in the country. Shortly after, I met a young man who said to me, I live in that neighborhood but Im not dangerous. It was heartbreaking to know just how right he was. By labeling that neighborhood dangerous, he felt like he was the one being labeled dangerous. And this isnt just about how people feelthis is a matter of life and death. Weve seen this in Minneapolis with the well-known death of George Floyd and most recently, Amir Locke, who were automatically assumed to be dangerous.

Throughout history, Black people have sought the same dignity, freedom and universal rights that all humans across the globe seek. Against daunting odds, theyve succeeded in making enormous strides. To show our support, it is time to make a pledge to support Black peoples long-held aspirations to L.O.V.E. live, own, vote and excel freely. In a national focus group that aimed to understand the priorities of Black people, they cited their aspirations to:

1) Live with a sense of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being

2) Own their financial future, including the ability to create generational wealth

3) Vote to protect Black interests

4) Excel in all that they do and amplify narratives of Black excellence

Supporting Black L.O.V.E. requires an intention to speak about Black people as contributing human beings, not as problems to be solved or threats to be mitigated. Every individual, corporation and organization professing to champion Black L.O.V.E. needs to focus on better understanding this incredibly diverse population of nearly 48 million Americans. We need to see and appreciate them as the valuable caregivers, community leaders, executives, entrepreneurs, scientists, innovators, artists advocates, voters patriots, volunteers and visionaries that they are.

The good news is that this asset-based approach is gaining traction. For example, BMe a network of grassroots leaders, social innovators and donors has introduced asset-based framing to banks, foundations, nonprofits and communications networks using research and understanding of cognitive, social and cultural psychology.

Similarly, at the McKnight Foundation, the private family foundation I lead, we believe its long past time for new narratives. When we speak about racial equity, were intentional to point out how targeting resources to specific cultural communities create a ripple effect of broader social and economic gains for all communities.

McKnight is dedicating even more of our grant dollars and deploying all the other resources available to philanthropy to create vibrant and equitable communities in our home state of Minnesota. This year, $32 million in grants will go to organizations that accelerate economic mobility, build community wealth, cultivate a fair and just housing system, as well as strengthen democratic participation.

Last year, on the first anniversary of George Floyds death, we awarded 10 unsolicited, trust-based grants to organizations that work to create a state that could have sparked and enabled, rather than extinguished, the life of George Floyd. These Black-led organizations take a holistic approach to strengthening and healing, as well as offer community-crafted solutions to realize their aspirations for a just Minnesota. In addition, weve begun an intentional process to track our spending on vendors and ask how we can invest our money to create more enabling conditions for wealth-building for Black businesses.

The call for L.O.V.E. boils down to this: Value people for their full humanity. Take the time to understand the Black communitys dreams, not just the issues that serve as nightmares. This isnt about being charitable or kind. This is about learning to define Black people by their aspirations and contributions, so that we can more readily recognize the policies and practices that oppose those worthy aspirations and meaningful contributions. Lets grow the movement to lift people up rather than put them down with the Black L.O.V.E. pledge.

Tonya Allen is president of the McKnight Foundation.

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Black History Month: What if we stop denigrating and start loving? | TheHill - The Hill