PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Hillary Do is known to put words into action to bring about change.
The Harvard and Stanford graduate left a six-figure job to dedicate herself to helping communities rally to bring about positive change. She is the founder of Philly BOLT, or Build Our Lives Together, a nonprofit that works to empower grassroots leaders to drive change in their communities — specifically, communities of color.
“Philly has always been a really special place. I think that is where I find a lot of community,” she said. “It’s home for me, and for me, I have been trying to figure out what change looks like.”
Do is the daughter of Chinese immigrants, who overcame their own adversities to plant roots in this country.
“There are a lot of injustices in this country, racial and economic injustices that made it very difficult for them to be able to do what they wanted to do,” she said. “I certainly learned a lot from that.”
Oftentimes, the gatekeepers of information that lead to success come from the outside, she said, but many leave the communities because they don’t have a vested interest.
“So my question became, OK, how can I support those individuals to really accelerate their impact and get them to their visions faster?”
Do is motivated by a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “Philanthropy is commendable, but we must not forget the economic injustices that make it necessary.”
She explained, “The people who are doing the work are not the ones getting access to all the resources out there to accelerate their impact.”
She said there needs to be a shift in mindset. “There are a lot of biases toward communities of color and the people who are actually doing the work. Oftentimes, I think, people view them as small, low-impact or risky to invest in. But in fact, our communities are doing the work and carry a lot of the expertise.”
During Black History Month, KYW Newsradio’s GameChangers honors individuals or organizations that have made a significant, positive impact in communities of color in the greater Philadelphia region. View the 2024 honorees here.