A Letter From IBBG Executive Director
Hi friends,
It has taken some time for me to find the space and words to update our community on where IBBG is heading. Since January 20, we, like other community-based organizations, have been impacted by the attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion. I believe in transparency and want to ensure our community has insight into where we are and where we are headed.
You may have noticed lately that we’ve been moving with intention and making shifts that honor our power and purpose. I Be Black Girl, as you have come to know us, is evolving – in large part because we are learning what it means to be sustainable under our current administration. You’ll see this most prominently in our name – now IBBG – but also in how we show up and share about the work we do. Our bold, radical framework remains the foundation.
This shift isn’t a soft pivot – it’s a necessary recalibration, a deeper alignment to keep our radical imagination alive.
Over the past six months, we’ve taken deliberate steps to restructure our organization in ways that ensure our long-term sustainability and community impact. That meant making some incredibly difficult, people-centered decisions – reducing our staff to align with our budget, including the elimination of four roles and the restructuring of one. These changes were made gradually and with care. From January through April, our board met consistently to guide this transition and to minimize harm wherever possible.
Alongside this, we’ve realigned our financial strategy to reflect the reality of our current ecosystem. Over the next three years, we’re scaling our budget from $3.6 million down to $2.1 million, where we plan to remain. This shift allows us to sharpen our focus on our Collective Action Framework, grounding our work in what we’ve always known to be true: people power drives real, transformative change.
Despite these shifts, we are clear on this – our mission, vision, and work remain the same. We are still here for Black women, femmes, and girls. We are leading boldly with our maternal health initiatives, deepening community led investments with IBBGives and the Blac Fund, and strengthening economic opportunities with our business catalyst program.
As part of our continued evolution, we’re launching Black in Action, our newly founded 501(c)(4) organization and political action committee. Black in Action will focus on building Black political power across Nebraska. This expansion is a continuation of our commitment to systems-level change and a necessary next step in protecting and advancing our rights across the state.
Looking ahead with fresh eyes, we are seeking out innovative revenue streams and ways to build an even more sustainable foundation for the future. The goal is not to do more with less. The goal is to do what matters, with care, intention, and alignment – to keep investing in the communities that have always invested in us.
IBBG is still us. Still radical. Still rooted. Just evolving in the ways necessary to keep going.
Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for building with us. I hope we can continue this journey together.
Ashlei Spivey
IBBG Executive Director