LETTER FROM CHAIR OF THE BOARD 2020

Dear Supporters of SAiDIANA,

Both of our beautiful countries the USA and Congo have had tragic pasts, the colonization of the Congo by the Belgians and slavery in the USA, that have created two different and unequal economies, educations and lives, one white and one black/brown world. This second world is impacted even more as COVID-19 kills this population at an increased rate due to the stresses of living while black. We thank you for your support and know that when you support SAiDIANA, you are giving that hand up to women in this second world that would otherwise have no one, no voice, no answers. We hope that by doing so, we join the two worlds into one so that these women have access to financing and vocational training that would otherwise be unavailable.

As an update on our projects and fundraising, we have hired a non-profit specialist who has applied for several grants to which we have not yet heard if we will receive funds. While our team in the Congo is working despite the pandemic, Bea & Nancy have brought to us an agricultural project, a new chicken-raising project, salon kits, a new session of the beauty school and sewing school to fund, and will soon send us a new pharmacy project as well. We ask that you please give generously as we would like to fund these sooner rather than later.

We have also added a new board member who hails from California to our board in the USA! We are expanding our reach which is very easy to do now that we are all virtual! ToiGibbs is a bubbly, positive, thoughtful, and engaging person who will bring an excellent perspective to our work in the Congo. As we bring her on, she had an excellent perspective of the generations of the plight that the black people of the world have experienced. Please find her experiences in poetry form below.

All the best to you and yours,
Rebecca JasperChair of Board,
SAiDIANA

POEM WRITTEN BY TOI GIBBS

I can’t breathe…

I am the daughter, grand-daughter, niece, cousin, sister, and ex-wife of some amazing African-
American men.

I can’t breathe

They each have stories that were not filmed of unjust, physical harm, and outrage at some that do not look like them.

I can’t breathe

My grandfather (nicknamed Partner, pronounced Pot’nah) once worked at a dry cleaner. He made a suggestion on some workplace improvements. In today’s terms that would be called a process improvement. His manager that didn’t look like him called him “boy” which didn’t go over very well. Bleach was thrown at my grandfather and someone tried to burn him with an iron.

I can’t breathe

My father was the first African-American electrical inspector for the City of Los Angeles. A subordinate did not want to work for a black man. The person purposely left some live wires that were to be inspected by my dad. Daddy could have been electrocuted.

I can’t breathe

My ex-husband works for the US Postal Service. He was pulled over at Fox Hills Mall by the Police. Hewas told to lie on the ground in the driveway while they pulled out the seats of his VW Bug. He was told he “fit the description.” He was released. How many burglaries occurred in that area by a man ina full postal uniform?

I can’t breathe

As an African-American woman, I have grown up with the stories of unjust and have held on and hugged men that were justly outraged. They deserve better. We all deserve better.

When can we breathe?

– Toi Gibbs

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