Esperanza Peace and Justice Center Gifted $1 Million by Philanthropists
June 16, 2021 - San Antonio
Esperanza Peace and Justice Center Gifted $1 Million. The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center has received a $1 million donation from philanthropists Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett. The donation will go towards the Esperanza’s Museo del Westside and Rinconcito projects.. Courtesy Image.
By Valeria Torrealba, Senior Reporter | San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center has received a $1 million donation from philanthropists Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett.
- The donation will go towards the Esperanza’s Museo del Westside and Rinconcito projects, both of which serve to honor communities on the Westside of San Antonio.
The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center has received a $1 million gift from philanthropists Mackenzie Scott and Dan Jewett.
“We are deeply grateful to be selected by Mackenzie Scott, Dan Jewett, and their team,” said Executive Director of the Esperanza Graciela Sánchez, in a press release.
“We admire Scott and Jewett’s efforts to look broadly and to support community-based organizations with substantial gifts and without restrictions. The Esperanza has worked for over 34 years to bring San Antonio’s diverse communities to greater mutual understanding and to strengthen the City’s Black and Brown communities through cultural grounding, preservation, and self-determination. The support from Scott and Jewett will enable us to expand this critical work. We are excited to learn that our sister Westside organizations, National Association of Latino Arts and Culture and the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, have also been named as recipients.”
In Scott’s blog, Seeding by Ceding, the philanthropist emphasizes that community-centered service can be a powerful catalyst and multiplier and she has acted dramatically on this conviction.
Scott and her team spent the first quarter of 2021 identifying and evaluating equity-oriented, non-profit teams working in areas that have been neglected. The result was $2.7 billion in gifts to 286 high-impact organizations in categories and communities that have been historically underfunded and overlooked. The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center was selected as one of these non-profit teams.
The Esperanza continues to honor traditional cultures and strengthen communities through its programming, serving over 70 thousand people each year through “direct participation in arts and cultural events, including exhibitions, workshops, concerts, theater performances, film screenings, and more,” as the organization said in a press release.
According to a recent press release by the nonprofit, the donation will go towards the Museo del Westside/Rinconcito development and the Esperanza Community Land Trust.
“We thank Mackenzie Scott and her entire team for taking the time to highlight and recognize the 34 years of work of the Esperanza and giving us an opportunity to grow,” the organization said.
Valeria Torrealba is an opinions columnist and public relations assistant at the University Star, a student publication of Texas State University. Email her at reporter@sasentinel.com