taryn palumbo

Orange County Grantmakers Hosts the 8th Annual Summit Entitled “Leading Towards Equity” for Over 300 Business, Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leaders

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One-Day Learning Opportunity Focuses on Equity Profile of Orange County and Research Illustrating that Equity is the Path to Inclusive Growth and Prosperity for Local Nonprofit Leaders SANTA ANA, Calif., (September XX, 2019)—Orange County Grantmakers, a community of philanthropists committed to improving outcomes for Orange County and beyond, will host the 8th annual summit entitled …

Orange County Grantmakers Hosts the 8th Annual Summit Entitled “Leading Towards Equity” for Over 300 Business, Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leaders Read More »

OCG is thrilled to serve on the ACBO Executive Team for #Census2020

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Orange County Grantmakers congratulates Charitable Ventures of Orange County on being named the Regional Administrative Community-Based Organization (ACBO) for 2020 Census outreach efforts in Orange County by the CA Complete Count – Census 2020 office. OCG joins a number of local organizations to serve on the ACBO Executive Team, assisting in collaborative outreach efforts by …

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First Orange County Equity Report Highlights Orange County’s Challenges and Opportunities to Becoming a More Equitable Region

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CONTACT:           Taryn Palumbo                                 Executive Director, Orange County Grantmakers                                 (714) 900-2998                                 [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE First Orange County Equity Report Highlights Orange County’s Challenges and Opportunities to Becoming a More Equitable Region Santa Ana, CA. March 26, 2018 – Orange County Grantmakers (OCG), in partnership with the St. Joseph Health Community Partnership …

First Orange County Equity Report Highlights Orange County’s Challenges and Opportunities to Becoming a More Equitable Region Read More »

Inaugural Orange County Equity Report to Showcase Results of County-wide Assessment Highlighting Steps for a More Equitable Future

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Press Release CONTACT:           Taryn Palumbo                                 Executive Director, Orange County Grantmakers                                 (714) 323-3451                                 [email protected] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Inaugural Orange County Equity Report to Showcase Results of County-wide Assessment Highlighting Steps for a More Equitable Future March 20, 2019 – Orange County Grantmakers, in partnership with the St. Joseph Health Community Partnership Fund, …

Inaugural Orange County Equity Report to Showcase Results of County-wide Assessment Highlighting Steps for a More Equitable Future Read More »

ORANGE COUNTY GRANTMAKERS HOSTS ANNUAL NONPROFIT LEADER SUMMIT

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News Release Media Contact Taryn Palumbo Executive Director 714.900.2998 [email protected]   ORANGE COUNTY GRANTMAKERS HOSTS ANNUAL NONPROFIT LEADER SUMMIT 250+ NONPROFIT AND FOUNDATION CHANGEMAKERS ATTEND Orange County Grantmakers (OCG) hosted more than 250 nonprofit, philanthropic and community leaders at the Delhi Center in Santa Ana on Thursday, October 4 for its annual summit. This year’s …

ORANGE COUNTY GRANTMAKERS HOSTS ANNUAL NONPROFIT LEADER SUMMIT Read More »

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How do we build a compassionate and inclusive America in an age of distrust? WAJAHAT ALI knows from personal experience that when we come together to be the superheroes of our own stories, we can create honest social change. The beloved TED speaker has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic about our urgent issues—immigration, politics, parenthood—with boldness, hope, and humor. His memoir Go Back to Where You Came From, one of Amazon’s Best Books of the Year, follows his life as a Muslim Pakistani-American on a surprising, emotional, and challenging quest for the good life. Iconic journalist Katie Couric says that “we are all so fortunate to be on the receiving end of his intellect, his humanity, and his heart.”

Wajahat Ali

“With wit and charm, Ali delivers a masterful meditation on growing up brown in America...he gives us a clear-eyed affirmation of the country America could be.” — Mara Gay, New York Times

Mara Gay, New York Times

Wajahat Ali uses his platform to fight tirelessly for the social change we need in our country—and he isn’t afraid to get personal while doing it. The Daily Beast columnist and former New York Times writer, TED speaker, award-winning playwright, and Peabody-nominated producer of the documentary series The Secret Life of Muslims offers us his experiences of triumph over hardship as a beacon of hope and resilience in the face of life’s impossible situations. From his experiences of Islamophobia growing up as a Muslim Pakistani-American to his two-year-old daughter’s liver cancer diagnosis, Wajahat is living proof that when we share our authentic stories, we build the America we wish to live in.”

In his memoir Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American, Wajahat teaches us how to create our own superhero origin story, invest in hope for the future of America, and enact real social change. The book was called “biting and funny and full of heart” by NPR. Representative Ilhan Omar called Wajahat’s work “hilarious” and “deeply moving”, and legendary writer Dave Eggers said it was the book he’d “been hoping Wajahat Ali would write for ten years—hilarious, stylistically fearless, deeply humane.”

Wajahat is also the author of The Domestic Crusaders—the first major play about Muslim-Americans in a post-9/11 world. He was the lead researcher and author for the Center for American Progress’s seminal report “Fear Inc., Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” and served as a national correspondent for Al Jazeera America, where he told stories about communities and individuals often marginalized or under-reported in mainstream media.

As Creative Director of Affinis Wajahat Labs, he worked to create social entrepreneurship initiatives to support and uplift marginalized communities. He also worked with the US State Department to design and implement the “Generation Change” leadership program to empower young social entrepreneurs. Wajahat initiated chapters in eight countries, including Pakistan and Singapore. For his work, he was honored as a “Generation Change Leader” by Sec. of State Clinton and recognized as an “Emerging Muslim American Artist” by the Muslim Public Affairs Council. 

He has given keynote speeches around the world such as TED, The Aspen Ideas Festival, Google, the United Nations, and The New Yorker Festival. His writing appears regularly in the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and The Guardian. He’s a Senior Fellow at The Western States Center and Auburn Seminary and co-host of Al Jazeera’s The Stream.