What You Can Do to Advance Love, Equity, and Inclusion
In light of recent heartbreaking events that expose racism and bias through violence, hateful speech and rallies, we want to share a message of compassion, love, and action.
At SVP, we are committed to advancing racial equity because race and ethnicity play an outsized role in determining kindergarten readiness and because we want a strong, vibrant community. Can we really expect that our children, especially children of color, will be ready for kindergarten and succeed as adults when they are surrounded by hate and bias? Breaking through to a world that lifts up social justice and equity is essential for kids success and our own well being.
As a Partner, what can you do to advance racial equity? More importantly, what can you do as a friend, neighbor, and family member? Here are some ways you can help:
It starts with you. We all have biases, including many we are not aware of. Learn about your own biases by taking Harvard's implicit bias test. We are all guilty of making assumptions and judgments, but we need to recognize them so we do not act upon them. This is how microaggressions happen, and this is how hate and bias happens. We have to hold ourselves accountable. Also, recognize and pay attention to how you "show up" in the world. Do you take time to listen to other perspectives? How do you get your information about cultures different from your own? Who is in your circle of friends and in your neighborhood?
Speak up. Silence can be more impactful than words. When bias or hate happens and you do nothing about it, the message you share is that this behavior is acceptable in our community. Always make sure everyone is safe in the situation before you say or do anything.
Learn. Educate yourself and others about racial equity and issues surrounding hate and bias. A great place to start is to learn more about our Community Partners and the work they are doing. Other opportunities to stay up to date and learn more about race and equity include Coalition of Communities of Color's data and research on race in our local community, NPR's Code Switch blog and podcast, NY Times' Race/Related newsletter, and the Southern Poverty Law Center and their tips on how to address hate.
It is my commitment to you to create and connect with learning opportunities. Here is what you can expect from me:
Monthly blog posts on our website expanding on what you can do, sharing resources around advancing equity, and giving you tools to address racial equity. Topics will include things like: How to be an ally, how to talk about race with your kids, and how to recognize your own biases.
Opportunities for learning will be created and curated on the topic of race and equity. They will include events happening in our community, as well as SVP learning opportunities like dinner discussions, training, and more informal opportunities like possibly a book club.
Engage. Our Community Partners are working directly with communities of color. Whether you volunteer or just get to know them through a fundraiser, event, or SVP visit, ask how you can best show up to support and advance racial equity and become involved with organizations and events impacting communities of color. You can also:
Work with other community groups to push back against hate. Portland has grants available for groups to do this.
Build relationships with community leaders to educate them and the community, and advocate for racial equity.
Model inclusive language and behaviors, and create alternatives to acts of hate to demonstrate love and unity.
Do you have other ideas for action that you would like to offer? Let's talk. We can change the bias and racial inequities that persist unchallenged by each leaning in and by continuing the conversation.