Celebrating and Investing in the Diversity of Black Texans Q and A with Resha Thomas, Program Director at Texas Black Action Fund

For our latest #BlackLoveRising feature, we spoke with Resha Thomas, Program Director at Texas Black Action Fund, a project of Tides Advocacy, on what inspires her work and the challenges and opportunities that come with building Black civic engagement in the great state of Texas.

Tell us about the vision of Texas Black Action Fund and what drives your organization’s work in this moment.

Resha: So, I have to first start with what Texas is and who makes up this wonderful state. There are more Black people who live in Texas than any other state in the country - close to 3.5 million Black Texans reside in this state. We're home to nine historical Black colleges and universities and roughly a quarter of all Black farmers in the country live in Texas. The vision for the Texas Black Action Fund was to have real investments in organizations across our 254 counties that are doing work on the ground, to engage Black folks in issue organizing and in civic engagement.

What we found was that while there was great work happening across the state, there were two main things that people needed. One, they needed resources, and some people were working in small towns and they weren't able to connect with big funders. Two, they wanted to build capacity and connection. So our vision was to give people a space where they could come together, network , build capacity, learn from others, and be a central hub that provides resources and other forms of support.

The Black Love Rising campaign is about highlighting love for Black people, communities and our collective liberation. What role do you think love plays in building Black political power and creating a pro-Black future?

Resha: Love really plays the center role in the work that we do and love shows up mainly in one way that keeps me thinking about the work. It's really about providing support in the areas that may not be the most happening areas of the state. It may be in the middle of Texas with a population of 2,500 folks, but it's a high Black population there. And love is really investing in this community. Because when I travel across the state, I see different organizations who are doing work, because they care about the issues and they're passionate about it. It's about the support and investment in folks who are doing what's necessary in their communities and at a rate that's just outpouring and filled with gratitude and grace and mercy.

Who or what inspires your love for serving and working with Black communities?

Resha: For me, it’s two folks. First, it's my great grandmother, who grew up in Texas. She lived in Houston, Texas, but came from a small town called Waxahachie, which you pass by on your way to Dallas. She had a third grade education. She raised my mom and she paid a poll tax. I wake up every day and I think about if she had the opportunities that I have and what could have been if she had a different life. I want to make sure my state isn't regressive, but it's actually progressive. I never want to work in a state that's going backwards as far as women's rights and women's access to the host of things that we see being attacked in the state of Texas.

I also think about my father’s side of the family, who are from a small town called Columbus, Texas. They are very engaged politically, but because they don't live in the big cities like Houston and Austin, sometimes people don't talk to them about the importance of going out and voting. And it's just because of where they live. So I think about making investments in these small communities where there is someone like Betsy Titus, my great grandmother, or someone like my Thomas family, who are very engaged and would get involved if folks and resources were there to talk to them.

Are there any recent projects or campaigns from Texas Black Action Fund that exemplify what it means to lead with love for community?

Resha: One project I am very excited about is our convenings where we brought about a dozen leaders across the state to Austin for a full day to talk about their capacity needs, issues, and organizations that need to be supported. These leaders said they needed a place to meet and get to know each other, so that’s what we created.

Our first one in Austin was in January and we held another one in Houston earlier this year bringing together around 30 people in healthcare, education, senior care, research, and civic engagement. Our next convening will be in Dallas in a few weeks. We’re excited because it’s not just about getting people to learn about our organization but bringing people together. Texas is a big state and people often think they are alone. We wanted to give folks a place to connect, highlight opportunities and talk about coordination across the state.

What are some of the biggest challenges and opportunities for Black civic engagement in Texas?

Resha: We believe the biggest challenges and opportunities are the same. Texas is so grand and diverse. There are Black people living in suburban and urban areas - the diversity that is unimaginable. Our challenge has been how to organize and provide resources in an area that’s so big. The opportunity is that it’s a testing ground of what works in organizing. There are 3.5 million Texans you can communicate with. We’ve divided the state into regions which gives us the ability to test new messaging and techniques.

We did a little testing in north Texas and southeast Texas, particularly with Black women in 2022. We learned that folks are moved not by candidates but by the issues they care about and that impact their communities.

What do you want funders to understand if they want to help support the future of Black civic engagement and political power in this country?

Resha: I would really love for funders to understand the diversity of Black Texans. I’m a Houstonian and love to see resources here but places like Columbus, Texas and Kileen, Texas also have a high population of Black folks. It’s great to invest in larger cities, but in smaller areas there is amazing work happening. There should be investment there because we know that in order to really make change in a state like Texas, we can't focus on the top five cities. We have to do some investment in those kinds of areas that are close to those larger towns.

It’s also really important for funders to understand that we have to talk about the issues and civic engagement - they want to fund c3 work, but we need c4 funding to give people guidelines on where candidates stand. Our voters don’t care as much about candidates as much as the issues - c4 funding allows us to be very clear-cut about the issues that Black Texans care about.

To learn more and stay in touch with Texas Black Action Fund, visit their website and follow them on Instagram & Facebook

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