(fyi, we've migrated from our previous fundraising pages due to high processing fees.) INTRODUCTION & MISSION It's hard to know what to say here... there's what we would really want to say, what we think we should say, what we wish we could say, and all kinds of in between. Here are some lines that are swirling around right now, and the thoughts that come with. "Color the Water is a racial justice organization of and by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color that offers oceanic support as a recourse and pathway to liberation..."  ...mmm maybe too jargon-y. lots of these words are diluted now, anyway." "Color the Water is an official 501(c)3 that offers free anti-racist surf support, media, and community to all BIPOC." ...nah, nah, nah, that's way too soft, can't be mistaken for some kumbaya surf DEI department. also, the NPIC is something we def wanna create space from (non-profit industrial complex)" "Color the Water is an organization that is hoping to contribute to and  join radical justice work, inspired by the Black Panther Party, Malcolm X, Dr. Melina Abdullah, Bell Hooks, Angela Davis, Lapu Lapu, Yuri Kochiyama, Larry Itliong, Adrienne Marie Brown, Patrice Cullors, and so many more." ...you know, that sounds great but are we really about it like that? Do we really even deserve to say these names and groups?" Truth is, we exist in constant growth, rebuild, and formation. Even the notion of who "we" are changes, as what we are offering is to all BIPOC, but the community that forms around the reasons why we offer it - radical theory and action involving freedom from and abolition of systems of oppression rooted in white supremacy and reimagination of liberated space and culture designed by the most vulnerable among us- is not necessarily for all BIPOC. As they say, not all skinfolk is kinfolk, and while the surf space is for all BIPOC, we are seeking people who are both. (and, let us be the first to say we don't mean to flatten Black and Indigenous identities in this BIPOC term. The B and I are pulled with intention and recognition, and confronting anti-Blackness is core to our mission.) That mission is to embody the principles of liberation that we strive for in every part of our existence as we offer as decolonized and liberated of a space for BIPOC to grieve, heal, learn, and play in and with the ocean. From the way we word our fundraisers to the way we teach riding waves (ie. surfing = standing is incredibly ableist and meritocratic), we want it all to align. Free from capitalism. Free from white supremacist ideology. Imagined in the ways our melanated ancestors would be proud of, and also protected in ways we've learned from them. ORIGIN STORY Color the Water was started by me, David Malana (he/him), a Filipino-American son of immigrants who was called to action in 2020 after the police murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many more.  There were these Paddle Outs that were also positioned as peaceful protests. This was amidst the height of COVID, where going out and being around people was also dangerous. We were all just home, or supposed to be, and those over 9 minutes of crystal clear video of George Floyd being pinned down by Derek Chauvin as his colleagues, one of whom was Asian American, watched... it shook us all. These paddle outs were inspiring, but also jarring. Mostly white people, many with Black Lives Matter on their boards and fists in the air... it felt like it couldn't last. It didn't. I watched this all unfold. I was back from international media and education work for marginalized communities of color around the world and lent my media skills to some of the paddle outs I went to. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzotqHxWNZ4" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color:green;text-decoration:inherit;-webkit-user-select:auto;box-sizing:inherit" target="_blank">Here</a> is the video I made of the very first. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1717474363/x8snkt1qtkpvb3mvmaaq.png" style="width:530px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;max-width:calc(100% - 10px);position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit" /> Those sparks led to a commitment to what I hope among hopes is something that either is or is on the way to becoming "the work." It's a long shot that surfing can be something that be of service to abolishing police, addressing the school to prison pipeline, or putting an end to settler colonialism (FREE PALESTINE!). If we do it right though, this can be a space that nourishes and replenishes our energy to continue in our struggle, and also embodies how we want to live and practice in other spaces. So we started to build. Many people joined in the momentum and spaciousness of 2020. It seemed like a revolutionary act at the time. It certainly revolutionized my life, and perhaps many others for a time. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1717476443/zsqq8f8nqd6dvzbrmr4i.png" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit" /> What I thought would be three or four months (because that's what I had enough money for) has now turned into four years. Grants here, gra.nts there, and many personal donations have kept us afloat. We dream of being self sustainable. Of being provided for in ways that free us from some of the strings attached to us as a non profit. Non profits were created as a system of tax evasion and evolved into another mechanism of control that turns would be revolutions into softer versions of themselves that end up doing the work that the government should be doing itself. So yea we wanna be free and we have faith that our people will provide, as we offer provisions for those who seek the magic of the ocean. That magic is marred and scarred with deep generational wounds, and more than anything we want to continue this not because we want a bunch of amazing Surfers of Color to prove to the white surf world that we belong. We don't belong in the surf world as it's currently designed.That is why we want to create our own surf practice. Liberated. Reimagined. Radicalized. Free. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1717474515/qiirtqarvotb5mnt9mlc.png" style="width:784px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;max-width:calc(100% - 10px);position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit" /> BREAKDOWN Money that comes to us will go directly to the mission at hand. Here is a breakdown of how we'd spend $100,000 if we were to raise that. 4K Labor: making sure that we have our needs met in this life is important in this work. Non profit doesn't mean we work for free, it only means that the organizations don't operate in ways that generate profit. Us, our volunteers and community that lend skills and support, we want to make sure we are all provided for, rather than working for free or paying to work. In all honesty this amount of money spread across several people is still not enough to survive in LA, but just real talk this is what the splits have been.  25K Community Support: This looks like parking fees and mileage stipends for those who need that barrier removed. Weekly food provided at our gatherings that also becomes free food offerings for some during the week. It's making sure that accessibility needs are met: accessible wetsuits for differently bodied people, translation services like ASL, and emergency funds if anyone is in dire need. Again, more than being a space that starts and stops at the shore, we are intent on deepening connection with those who are in the struggle, and that means relationships that support beyond these waves. This also allows us to offer leadership positions to our people, and not extract free labor from POC the way they been doing to us. 10K Education: One thing has become clear. 2020 and the ocean are not enough to get us to the revolution. We need to star dedicating more time and resources to our education around anti-racism. We have many among us who have dedicated their lives to this work. We need to make sure we are offering spaces of raised consciousness development so that our theories and practice can start becoming solid praxis in this surf stuff and beyond. As Yuri Kochiyama once said...<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1717477416/effhn729fxr1vu6nembt.jpg" style="width:195px;display:inline-block;vertical-align:bottom;margin-right:5px;margin-left:5px;text-align:center;max-width:calc(100% - 10px);position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit" /> 10K Equipment: Though we have gathered most if not all the equipment we've needed, we continually are making sure that we are resourced so that we can resource our people. So far, we've lost count as to how many boards and suits we have given to hopeful Surfers of Color over these years, but it has had to be nearly 1000 suits and perhaps somewhere around 100 boards. This alongside custom equipment as well as a continued quest to find ways to create and support more environmentally harmonious materials in surfing, means that a good amount of our resources will always go toward equipment. 10K Solidarity: This involved supporting those who we consider friends and in some cases comrades in this work. It also involves deepening our practice of giving back to the Indigenous tribes to whom this land belongs, offering spaces of connection to this that aren't as easily accessible for some, and in general widening our reach to those who need it most. 5K Some bull: There are things that come with paying for being a non-profit that are not fun. Yes, we still have to do taxes and pay payroll fees and pay for insurance and registration to the state and country and so many of the red tape things that sap energy away. With resources though, we have people who are expert at these things and we can offer them compensation that matters. VISIONWe want to do this until we are no longer fighting to put an end to the things we don't want, and instead approaching our work as a generative space where we minimize harm, meet each other's need without capitalistic philosophy, and really exist, at least in once space in our lives, in a way that our ancestors would be proud of. The path to that dream is slow, long, and full of pitfalls and setbacks, but we are here, still here and will be here as long as time allows.

Hello <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip " fr-original-style style="background-color:rgb(248, 248, 255);border:1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255);border-radius:4px;color:rgb(42, 42, 196);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:1px 8px;font-size:11px;line-height:16px;overflow-wrap:anywhere;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit">First name <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{lastname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip " fr-original-style style="background-color:rgb(248, 248, 255);border:1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255);border-radius:4px;color:rgb(42, 42, 196);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:1px 8px;font-size:11px;line-height:16px;overflow-wrap:anywhere;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit">Last name, Thank you very much for your offering. However much it was, if it was what was right for you and what was within your means. it is appreciated. The more money we have, the more work we can do, and please know that rather than the flat amount of what you have donated, it is the heart you put into it that makes all the difference for us. It's like that one story where someone donated a ton of money but had so much more, and someone else donated a small amount but it was almost all they had... we just wanna dismantle the idea that your contribution is quantified in numbers - kind of a hard thing to escape as this is a fundraiser, but hopefully you know what we mean. We trust that we will be provided for. For the anti-racist revolutionaries among you, just know we see you, and we will keep trying to be a better space for you as time continues to allow us to grow and evolve. If you would like to continue to support, please do consider a monthly donation setup, telling some friends and getting them to support (ideologically more importantly than financially), and in general just continuing the internal and external work of dismantling white supremacy in our hearts, minds, and worlds. Until we are all free, David Malana david@colorthewater.org 19092614985

Thank you for fundraising with us this year again! Here is more information.

(fyi, we've migrated from our previous fundraising pages due to high processing fees.) INTRODUCTION &amp; MISSION It's hard to know what to say here... there's what we would really want to say, what we think we should say, what we wish we could say, and all kinds of in between. Here are some lines that are swirling around right now, and the thoughts that come with. "Color the Water is a racial justice organization of and by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color that offers oceanic support as a recourse and pathway to liberation..."  ...mmm maybe too jargon-y. lots of these words are diluted now, anyway." "Color the Water is an official 501(c)3 that offers free anti-racist surf support, media, and community to all BIPOC." ...nah, nah, nah, that's way too soft, can't be mistaken for some kumbaya surf DEI department. also, the NPIC is something we def wanna create space from (non-profit industrial complex)" "Color the Water is an organization that is hoping to contribute to and  join radical justice work, inspired by the Black Panther Party, Malcolm X, Dr. Melina Abdullah, Bell Hooks, Angela Davis, Lapu Lapu, Yuri Kochiyama, Larry Itliong, Adrienne Marie Brown, Patrice Cullors, and so many more." ...you know, that sounds great but are we really about it like that? Do we really even deserve to say these names and groups?" Truth is, we exist in constant growth, rebuild, and formation. Even the notion of who "we" are changes, as what we are offering is to all BIPOC, but the community that forms around the reasons why we offer it - radical theory and action involving freedom from and abolition of systems of oppression rooted in white supremacy and reimagination of liberated space and culture designed by the most vulnerable among us- is not necessarily for all BIPOC. As they say, not all skinfolk is kinfolk, and while the surf space is for all BIPOC, we are seeking people who are both. (and, let us be the first to say we don't mean to flatten Black and Indigenous identities in this BIPOC term. The B and I are pulled with intention and recognition, and confronting anti-Blackness is core to our mission.) That mission is to embody the principles of liberation that we strive for in every part of our existence as we offer as decolonized and liberated of a space for BIPOC to grieve, heal, learn, and play in and with the ocean. From the way we word our fundraisers to the way we teach riding waves (ie. surfing = standing is incredibly ableist and meritocratic), we want it all to align. Free from capitalism. Free from white supremacist ideology. Imagined in the ways our melanated ancestors would be proud of, and also protected in ways we've learned from them. ORIGIN STORY Color the Water was started by me, David Malana (he/him), a Filipino-American son of immigrants who was called to action in 2020 after the police murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many more.  There were these Paddle Outs that were also positioned as peaceful protests. This was amidst the height of COVID, where going out and being around people was also dangerous. We were all just home, or supposed to be, and those over 9 minutes of crystal clear video of George Floyd being pinned down by Derek Chauvin as his colleagues, one of whom was Asian American, watched... it shook us all. These paddle outs were inspiring, but also jarring. Mostly white people, many with Black Lives Matter on their boards and fists in the air... it felt like it couldn't last. It didn't. I watched this all unfold. I was back from international media and education work for marginalized communities of color around the world and lent my media skills to some of the paddle outs I went to. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzotqHxWNZ4" target="_blank">Here</a> is the video I made of the very first. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1717474363/x8snkt1qtkpvb3mvmaaq.png" style="width:530px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /> Those sparks led to a commitment to what I hope among hopes is something that either is or is on the way to becoming "the work." It's a long shot that surfing can be something that be of service to abolishing police, addressing the school to prison pipeline, or putting an end to settler colonialism (FREE PALESTINE!). If we do it right though, this can be a space that nourishes and replenishes our energy to continue in our struggle, and also embodies how we want to live and practice in other spaces. So we started to build. Many people joined in the momentum and spaciousness of 2020. It seemed like a revolutionary act at the time. It certainly revolutionized my life, and perhaps many others for a time. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1717476443/zsqq8f8nqd6dvzbrmr4i.png" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /> What I thought would be three or four months (because that's what I had enough money for) has now turned into four years. Grants here, gra.nts there, and many personal donations have kept us afloat. We dream of being self sustainable. Of being provided for in ways that free us from some of the strings attached to us as a non profit. Non profits were created as a system of tax evasion and evolved into another mechanism of control that turns would be revolutions into softer versions of themselves that end up doing the work that the government should be doing itself. So yea we wanna be free and we have faith that our people will provide, as we offer provisions for those who seek the magic of the ocean. That magic is marred and scarred with deep generational wounds, and more than anything we want to continue this not because we want a bunch of amazing Surfers of Color to prove to the white surf world that we belong. We don't belong in the surf world as it's currently designed.That is why we want to create our own surf practice. Liberated. Reimagined. Radicalized. Free. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1717474515/qiirtqarvotb5mnt9mlc.png" style="width:784px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /> BREAKDOWN Money that comes to us will go directly to the mission at hand. Here is a breakdown of how we'd spend $100,000 if we were to raise that. 4K Labor: making sure that we have our needs met in this life is important in this work. Non profit doesn't mean we work for free, it only means that the organizations don't operate in ways that generate profit. Us, our volunteers and community that lend skills and support, we want to make sure we are all provided for, rather than working for free or paying to work. In all honesty this amount of money spread across several people is still not enough to survive in LA, but just real talk this is what the splits have been.  25K Community Support: This looks like parking fees and mileage stipends for those who need that barrier removed. Weekly food provided at our gatherings that also becomes free food offerings for some during the week. It's making sure that accessibility needs are met: accessible wetsuits for differently bodied people, translation services like ASL, and emergency funds if anyone is in dire need. Again, more than being a space that starts and stops at the shore, we are intent on deepening connection with those who are in the struggle, and that means relationships that support beyond these waves. This also allows us to offer leadership positions to our people, and not extract free labor from POC the way they been doing to us. 10K Education: One thing has become clear. 2020 and the ocean are not enough to get us to the revolution. We need to star dedicating more time and resources to our education around anti-racism. We have many among us who have dedicated their lives to this work. We need to make sure we are offering spaces of raised consciousness development so that our theories and practice can start becoming solid praxis in this surf stuff and beyond. As Yuri Kochiyama once said...<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1717477416/effhn729fxr1vu6nembt.jpg" style="width:195px;display:inline-block;vertical-align:bottom;margin-right:5px;margin-left:5px;text-align:center;position:relative;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;-webkit-user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /> 10K Equipment: Though we have gathered most if not all the equipment we've needed, we continually are making sure that we are resourced so that we can resource our people. So far, we've lost count as to how many boards and suits we have given to hopeful Surfers of Color over these years, but it has had to be nearly 1000 suits and perhaps somewhere around 100 boards. This alongside custom equipment as well as a continued quest to find ways to create and support more environmentally harmonious materials in surfing, means that a good amount of our resources will always go toward equipment. 10K Solidarity: This involved supporting those who we consider friends and in some cases comrades in this work. It also involves deepening our practice of giving back to the Indigenous tribes to whom this land belongs, offering spaces of connection to this that aren't as easily accessible for some, and in general widening our reach to those who need it most. 5K Some bull: There are things that come with paying for being a non-profit that are not fun. Yes, we still have to do taxes and pay payroll fees and pay for insurance and registration to the state and country and so many of the red tape things that sap energy away. With resources though, we have people who are expert at these things and we can offer them compensation that matters. VISIONWe want to do this until we are no longer fighting to put an end to the things we don't want, and instead approaching our work as a generative space where we minimize harm, meet each other's need without capitalistic philosophy, and really exist, at least in once space in our lives, in a way that our ancestors would be proud of. The path to that dream is slow, long, and full of pitfalls and setbacks, but we are here, still here and will be here as long as time allows.

Color the Water | free(d) anti-racist surf space for all BIPOC

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Color The Water

### Context Profile for Color The Water

1. **Organization Mission & Cause:**
   Color The Water is dedicated to supporting marginalized communities, particularly those affected by systemic injustices and crises. Their mission focuses on providing direct aid to individuals and families impacted by disasters, such as fires in Altadena and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They aim to foster collective liberation and community resilience through financial support and advocacy.

2. **Type of Activities:**
   - **Fundraising Campaigns:** The organization actively engages in fundraising efforts, such as the recent campaign "From LA to Palestine," which aims to support families affected by fires and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
   - **Community Support:** They provide direct financial assistance to community members in need, ensuring that funds are allocated to those most affected by crises.
   - **Awareness and Advocacy:** Color The Water also works to amplify the stories of marginalized individuals, particularly those whose struggles are overlooked by mainstream media.

3. **Tone of Voice:**
   The tone of Color The Water is **friendly**, **urgent**, and **inspiring**. Their communications reflect a deep sense of community and empathy, often using personal narratives to connect with supporters. The language is accessible and heartfelt, aiming to motivate action and support for those in need.

4. **Emoji Usage:**
   The organization does not prominently feature emojis in their communications, focusing instead on clear and direct language to convey their messages. This suggests a preference for professionalism and sincerity over casual or playful communication styles.

5. **Key Facts:**
   - **Founding Info:** Specific founding details are not provided on the website, but the organization appears to be grassroots and community-driven.
   - **Scale:** Color The Water has conducted at least 5 fundraising forms and sent out 8 email campaigns, indicating an active engagement with their community.
   - **Impact Metrics:** While specific metrics are not detailed, the organization reports exceeding fundraising goals and distributing funds directly to individuals in need.
   - **Volunteer Info:** There is no specific information about volunteer opportunities on the website, but community involvement is implied through their fundraising and support efforts.

6. **Writing Guidelines:**
   - **Personal Narratives:** Use storytelling to connect emotionally with the audience, highlighting individual experiences and struggles.
   - **Empathy and Urgency:** Convey a sense of urgency in calls to action, emphasizing the immediate needs of the community.
   - **Clear and Direct Language:** Maintain clarity and straightforwardness in messaging, avoiding jargon while ensuring the message is accessible to a broad audience.
   - **Community-Centric Focus:** Always frame communications around the community and the individuals being supported, reinforcing the organization's commitment to collective liberation.

This context profile serves as a foundational guide for creating personalized and impactful content for Color The Water, ensuring alignment with their mission, values, and communication style.

Color The Water

Color the Water | free(d) anti-racist surf space for all BIPOC

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