Everyday Democracy names programs for national racial equity initiative

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March 20, 2008 | | East Hartford, Connecticut

 

Nine communities are taking    part in Everyday Democracy's Communities Creating Racial Equity initiative.

Everyday Democracy (formerly the Study Circles Resource Center) has selected nine community programs to take part in a national initiative aimed at helping communities create and sustain public engagement and community change on issues around racial equity.

The programs will work with Everyday Democracy over the next two years as part of the Communities Creating Racial Equity initiative. Programs included in the initiative are from Stratford, Conn.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Montgomery County Public Schools, Md.; Hopkinsville, Ky.; Lynchburg, Va.; Burlington, Vt.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Sacramento, Calif.; and New Haven, Conn.

The nine programs will work in their communities to reduce persistent inequity among racial and ethnic groups that show up in areas like education, housing, health care, the justice system, immigration and jobs (see program details below). The programs also will form a national learning network, and will meet together twice over the course of the initiative. Everyday Democracy will provide technical assistance to the programs, and use what it learns from their work to generate new tools, advice and resources that will be available for other communities around the country working on racial equity.

Everyday Democracy selected the programs based on the strength of their proposals to work on racial equity, their commitment to long-term community change, their ability to bring many people from diverse backgrounds into conversations about racial and ethnic inequities and how racism is affecting the community, and their capacity for sustaining inclusive public conversation and problem solving so that these democratic processes become a routine part of how the community works.

“The proposals to work with us showed commitment to examining the roots of inequities, and to setting new standards for success that go beyond just getting along better,” says Martha L. McCoy, executive director of the Everyday Democracy. “We look forward to helping these communities create opportunities for all kinds of people to talk and work together to close racial gaps and solve public problems.”

With funding provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the C.S. Mott Foundation, Everyday Democracy will provide each organization with in-depth technical assistance and stipends for teams to travel to the learning exchanges. Each organization will have a chance to apply for a small grant to help them implement their community’s ideas to achieve racial equity. The first learning exchange will be April 22-24 at the new Everyday Democracy office in East Hartford, Conn.

Everyday Democracy is a national organization that helps local communities find ways for all kinds of people to think, talk and work together to solve problems. We work with neighborhoods, cities and towns, regions, and states, helping them pay particular attention to how racism and ethnic differences affect the problems they address.

Programs in the Communities Creating Racial Equity initiative:

Burlington, Vt. – Initiated out of the city government’s Center for Community and Neighborhoods, this effort will bring together community partners to work with the school community, young people, community leaders and the early-childhood education community to create a welcoming community that embraces its diversity and global connection.

Hopkinsville, Ky.- As a result of a city-county visioning process completed in 2005 by an outside firm at the behest of the Chamber of Commerce, this program--led by Hopkinsville's Human Relations Commission--aims to address poverty and the racial divisions that exist in the community.

Jacksonville, Fla.- led by the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission, this coalition-based project builds on 10 years of work in race relations to bring about policy and institutional change in business and economic development, education, justice, health, housing, employment, media relations and politics.

Lynchburg, Va. – The city of Lynchburg, through its Many Voices – One Community project, is working to promote open dialogue to increase understanding of the challenges of racism, and to improve the social, economic and educational opportunities in the city.

Montgomery County Public Schools, Md. – The five-year-old Montgomery County Public Schools Study Circles Program will continue its work to remove racial and ethnic barriers to student achievement in the schools.

New Haven, Conn. – Community Mediation will lead a broad-scale program to address the issue of immigration that is at the heart of debate over racial and ethnic equity in the New Haven area.

Sacramento, Calif. – The County of Sacramento, through South Sacramento County Visions, its Committee Addressing Racial Equity, and the Community Pride Project will continue work to engage and build the capacity of residents and businesses to work together to improve quality of life in south Sacramento’s diverse neighborhoods.

Stratford, Conn. – Led by the mayor’s office, this program will focus its ongoing broad-based work on racial equity on education, leadership and community-police relationships.

Syracuse, N.Y. – Led by the Community Wide Dialogue to End Racism program of InterFaith Works, this 11-year-old initiative will deepen its work to end racism in Syracuse, with special focus on education, employment and neighborhoods in conflict.

Learn more: Racial Equity