Social Entrepreneur Spotlight: Gabrielle Wyatt Of The Highland Project

The Highland Project, one of eight organizations in New Profit’s first Economic Mobility Cohort, is building and co-powering a coalition of Black women leaders focused on addressing the racial wealth gap by driving bold, structural change for Black communities.

To help us get closer to The Highland Project’s work, Founder and CEO Gabrielle Wyatt took time to share words that inspire her vision for an America that abundantly invests in Black women in order to achieve multi-generational wealth and opportunity for all.

Q: What is the one thing you wish more people knew about the issue your organization is working to solve?

A: There’s an urgent need to redefine what wealth means in America. At The Highland Project, we know it is more than dollars in pockets. It’s about removing any barrier that hinders opportunity.

Take these staggering facts: In today’s America, Black women are three times more likely to die in pregnancy and postpartum. The average Black woman makes 58 cents for every dollar earned by the average white male. Black women also carry the highest student loan burden and receive the least amount of help to pay it back, graduating with a four year degree with almost 60 percent more debt than their white male counterparts.

We urgently need deep, structural change to rebuild our country into a home that offers justice and equality for all.

This is why I founded The Highland Project—a coalition of Black women working to address the racial wealth gap—to finally build new systems that allow Black communities to thrive. For generations, Black women have planted and sown the seeds for great social change in our country. And while we have seen more recognition of our work in just the last few years, our needs, concerns and dreams remain unseen. It’s time that we center Black women, our voices and our leadership. By building a coalition of phenomenal Black women from all sectors that are key to creating multi-generational wealth, and investing in these women with capital and community care, we have infinite possibilities.

Q: What has been the most fulfilling part of the work that you do?

A: Every day I meet brilliant and worthy Black women leaders. We are abundant. You don’t have to look hard to find us. That’s why we published our e-magazine, “Abundance.” It’s our statement to the world that Black women's worthiness is our norm and it is past time that our resources, policies, and practices reflect that.

Q: In your opinion, what do we need to do to ensure that Black women are supported?

A: We have to redefine what it means to invest in Black women.

First, we have to see the humanity of Black women. Often, we rely on the narrative of the strong, superhero Black woman who is always there to save the day. We’re showing up not because we are superheroes—but because our lives are on the line. But to truly invest in building a prosperous America means our humanity must be seen, valued and not taken for granted every election day. This looks like investing in and advocating for policy change that centers our needs. It looks like normalizing paid sabbaticals, providing multi-year investments to give us space to breathe and do the work, supporting restorative communities like The Highland Project and more.

We also have to reimagine systems that historically build multi-generational wealth. Investing in Black women is investing in our country. Studies show that if the country eliminated racial disparities in health, education, incarceration and employment, the US economy could be $8 trillion larger by 2050. And yet, we hold this knowing that systems and structures have historically marginalized Black communities, limiting access to any of these opportunities. That's why, when The Highland Project invests and builds with Black women, we focus on expanding access to four sectors that are key to creating multi-generational wealth: education, economic empowerment, wellbeing and political agency.

We must put our money where our mouths are for the long-term. Just 1% of community foundation funding goes to Black communities. Less than 1% of U.S. philanthropy is invested in the power of Black women and girls. And yet, we continue to hear calls and commitments from philanthropy and corporations for racial equity. Despite new spending during the 2020 ‘racial reckoning’, we’ve seen an increasingly slow drip of dollars and even strategy shifts away from deep investments in Black communities. It is past time that we learn from this, and make smarter investments for smarter gains.

And finally, investing in Black women means investing in our innovations and our losses, too. I have met so many Black women who are fiercely dedicated to driving social change for their communities. So when we face the inevitable barriers that are deeply entrenched in systemic racism and oppression, and it knocks us off our path, we face a greater cost to our emotional, mental and physical health.

America is at an inflection point, where what we do now, and in the next few years, will shape the kind of nation we become. To be on a path toward true equality, we must transform and create systems that do not leave Black women behind, but invest in our collective power, influence, and humanity—and move it to action.

Black women have always been ready. It’s time to realize the power of our leadership and rebuild our country together.

To learn more about The Highland Project, visit their website and follow them on Twitter and Instagram @LeadHighland. Learn more about why Economic Mobility is a key investment area for New Profit here.

This article was updated on 3/8/2023.