Can you imagine a world where no one is disadvantaged because of their race? A world where opportunities and systems are fair and equitable, and that everyone can have equitable opportunities to achieve their dreams and goals?
We can.
Racial justice is the systematic fair treatment of people of all races that results in equitable opportunities and outcomes for everyone. All people are able to achieve their full potential in life, regardless of race, ethnicity or the community in which they live. Racial justice — or racial equity — goes beyond trying not to be a racist. It’s not just about what we are against, but also what we are for. A “racial justice” framework can move us from a reactive posture to a more powerful, proactive, and even a preventative approach.
YWCA Northeast Indiana strives for an equitable community by offering educational opportunities. We believe racial justice includes education.
YWCA Northeast Indiana celebrates a community that embraces the inherent dignity of all people. To encourage awareness and acceptance of diversity, YWCA Northeast Indiana’s Level Up Council hosts Diversity Dialogues, where we bring in panelists and guest speakers to help lead the community in compelling conversations on interesting topics important to our community. We do our best to always ensure a variety of perspectives and topics that provoke deep thought.
To learn more about upcoming Diversity Dialogues events, click this link.
“Ally” in recent years refers specifically to a person supporting a marginalized group. For this blog series, we capitalize the “Y” in “AllY” to emphasize the connection between YWCA Northeast Indiana’s dedication to eliminating racism and the allyship focus of the blog.
“If we, as a collection of individuals, are able to self-reflect, adjust, and model inclusivity and engaged citizenship, what a great cultural legacy we can provide for future generations of Hoosiers. Each month we will be given the opportunity to ask ourselves “Am I being an AllY?” My hope is to hear increasingly more in our community “Yes! I AM an AllY!“
-Heather Guy (Racial Justice Coordinator, YWCA Northeast Indiana)
YWCA Northeast Indiana is on a mission to be an AllY. We hope that you will join us!
Learn more here.
AllY Toolbox Resources
- Proctor & Gamble-Talk about Bias
- Othering & Belonging Institute-Video Library
- Paul Kivel’s Archives of Writing
- Racial and Generational Trauma
- Race is real, but it’s not genetic-Article
- Courageous Discomfort-Shanterra Mcbride & Rosalind Wiseman – Video & Book recommendation
- It Took Me 34 Years to Realize I was a Racist-Article
We launched our inaugural 5k walk/run event in 2022 as a way to bring awareness to racial justice, to connect organization and individuals together, and to raise dollars so that YWCA Northeast Indiana can expand our racial justice services.
For more information on this event, please click here.
Diversity 101 Training for Businesses:
This interactive two hour training can be customized for your organization. This presentation looks at key terms, issues, implicit bias and provides resources for diversity within your workplace.
Immigration 101:
Participants will learn about the basics of terminology around immigration, learn about local trends, and also learn about the process to become a citizen (naturalization). This presentation includes discussion and activities to keep the audience engaged.
Learn more here.
Read from a variety of blog posts on Racial Justice 101. This blog page offers educational articles on related topics from authors throughout our community. Articles include the history of the Black Lives Matter movement, voter suppression, and implicit bias, to name only a few. Click here to read our Racial Justice 101 articles.
To learn how you or your organization can help, please contact Heather Essex-Guy, Racial Justice Coordinator, at hessex@ywcaerew.org.
There is no better time to begin than right now.
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