解决社会不公正问题

The 正规博彩十大网站排名学院’s Gay Johnson McDougall Center for Global Diversity and Inclusion hosted a virtual panel discussion titled “解决社会不公正问题: Strategies for Action” as part of its 真相，种族愈合 and 转换 Courageous Conversation Series.

Featured panelists included Brandi Collins-Dexter, senior campaign director for Color of Change, the nation’s largest online racial justice organization, 和保罗·麦克伦南, member of the board of the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights and a retired member of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 732. 这次讨论由李博士主持. Yves-Rose Porcena, vice president for Equity and Inclusion at 正规博彩十大网站排名学院.

“We have been working on social and racial justice issues for a long time, so it only made sense to figure out a way to continue our work even in the midst of the pandemic’s needs for physical distancing,波尔塞纳说. “We created these webinars to bring together the college’s mission of ‘engaging the social and intellectual challenges of our times’ with the work we are doing as a 真相，种族愈合 and 转换 campus.”

Panelists spent time discussing the Black Lives Matter movement's impact and shared practical strategies for individuals and organizations to join in community action against structural racism.

McLennan, who was among the leaders who worked for the removal of the confederate monument in downtown Decatur, offered significant lessons learned from the recent experience.

Lessons from the Removal of the Decatur Confederate Monument

• Know how city and county decisions are made. It is important to identify who owns the monument and maintain a presence at the city and county level.
• 使青年成为运动的中心. Youth should be involved every step of the way.
• Embrace coalition-building and intersectionality because people don’t live single-issue lives, 组织应该反映这一点.
• 永不放弃. 是持久的. 应用 pressure from below by going to public meetings, making phone calls and using email campaigns.
• Deepen your understanding of history to learn from it, and celebrate your victories.

“I am so grateful to this uprising by a new generation of youth who are demanding systemic change and an end to state violence,麦克伦南说. “The wave they created merged with our ongoing base-building work to sweep the confederate monument out of Decatur, and it has opened up the horizon for all of us to envision a new world.”

Collins provided practical strategies for keeping the momentum of the racial justice movement, 特别是在大流行期间.

Strategies for Keeping Momentum During Racial Injustice

• Build a list of various leaders and voices from different communities to learn what’s happening beyond your community globally across different movements.
• 理解能力. Create a power-map to understand who are the day-to-day decision-makers and how you get them to respond to your organizing efforts.
• Alliance-build: Make sure you’re aligned around a similar set of asks to explain.
• Ensure that companies go beyond the statement. Create an excel form of companies who share a Black Lives Matter statement so you can ask the necessary questions about things you’re not getting from those companies to hold them accountable.
• Remember that there are multiple ways to contribute to a movement. Everyone does not have to be at the forefront of the movement.

“Our communities are rooted in a natural joy and humor that I think is important not to lose during the hard times,柯林斯说. “I think it’s our superpower through oppression is to laugh during the hardest of times, 当我们失去了它, 我们迷失了自我. It’s important to know how to expand for that cultural connection.”

The webinar ended with Porcena making a call to action for its participants.

“It is not enough to have conversations,” said Porcena. “We must commit ourselves to be anti-racist. Addressing racism requires more than attending anti-racism webinars. It requires reconsidering our values, 将它们转化为行动, and investing in the assets and leadership of communities of color.”

关于Color Of Change

Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization helping people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America.

关于比肯山

Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights empowers, 提倡, 教育, and organizes people of African descent affected by systemic racism and oppression on issues of equity in education, housing and the legal system in the City of Decatur and surrounding communities.