July 17, 2025

Grantee Partner Spotlight: ACT 4 SA

by Ananda Tomas

Ms. Foundation is proud to support our grantee partners, who are at the forefront of organizing and creating solutions that improve people’s lives and bring us closer to achieving a true democracy. The insight and perspective they provide is invaluable. The Q&A below was generated by ACT 4 SA Executive Director Ananda Tomas.

ACT 4 SA empowers the San Antonio community through year-round base building, actions of solidarity, public education, policy, and advocacy to create accountable, compassionate, and transparent public safety that preserves and centers the health and well-being of their entire community without a reliance on police and prisons. ACT 4 SA is an Activist Care & Collaboration Fund grantee partner.

What brought you to this work?

Founder Ananda Tomas graduated with her Master’s in Political Science from The University of Texas at San Antonio in 2020—the same time the protests over the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor began. For Ananda, it was the next leg of the Civil Rights Movement. As a Black woman whose sister experienced police violence without the cops ever facing accountability, she felt it was her duty to be a part of it. She’s since dedicated her time to fighting for racial justice and against police brutality in San Antonio, leading her to found ACT 4 SA. The organization has quickly become one of the lead criminal justice advocacy groups in San Antonio and has won multiple policy changes in Bexar County. 

Tell us about a recent victory or something you’re proud of.

On March 15, 2025, International Day Against Police Brutality, ACT 4 SA and Marquise Jones Foundation unveiled a mural commemorating 14 local people who lost their lives to local law enforcement. The mural is placed at the Greater Institutional Faith Church, adjacent to the Spirit of a Leader mural honoring the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is the start of the annual MLK March every year in San Antonio—the largest MLK march in the country.

The artwork was created by David Blancas of Republic Arts Studios in collaboration with surviving family members of the 14 individuals featured on the mural. Originally conceived in 2020, this artwork has been a culmination of almost five years of hope, grief, creativity, and hard work. The placement of the mural at the start of the annual City of San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. March will serve as a reminder that the fight for justice continues, and that the same police brutality that Dr. King and the Freedom Riders faced in the 1960’s is still very real and alive in Bexar County today.

Family members were able to spend the week prior to the mural installation painting their loved ones photos in the studio to contribute to the project. Although the concept of the mural is up on the wall, final brush strokes will continue to be added every week, with its final expected completion by October 22, the National Day Against Police Violence and Repression.

How do you connect/collaborate in your community? Who are your key partners?

Our key partners in creating the mural were the family members of the victims and muralist David Blancas. We have been building relationships with one another while fighting against police brutality for several years now. We also collaborated with Texas Organizing Project’s Education Fund, Black Voters Matter, Mano Amiga, and Borealis Philanthropy’s Communities Transforming Policing Fund for funding and recruitment of the community to the event.

What are you learning or what are you teaching?

Our mural is a reminder that police brutality is happening in our community and that these are more than numbers or names or “criminals,” but very real people who were loved with families. That’s why each victim’s photo in the mural is being held by their family members.

What can philanthropy do better and/or how can individuals be helpful allies?

There needs to be more focus on the importance of art as part of movement and resistance. This is one of the ways we do storytelling and create memorials of the struggles of past, present, and future community members, as we fight for a better world for all. We encourage more folks to look into creating, utilizing, and funding art initiatives as part of our organizing work.

What gives you hope?

We find hope in the gratitude of the families and their continued drive to work hard to effect change to public safety and policing not just in San Antonio, but across Texas!