We take a Stand Against Racism every day by raising awareness about the impact of institutional and structural racism and building community among those who work for racial justice. Join YWCA and our community on Thursday, April 22 and Friday, April 23, for our 2021 campaign.
The theme of this year’s Stand Against Racism is Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis. Public health is, and always has been, central to racial justice work. This year our theme is especially pertinent as our nation continues to face the intersecting public health crises of COVID-19 and racism.
Throughout the pandemic, we have seen the racial disparities at work in our systems. Communities of color continue to face the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 with higher infection and death rates. And individuals have used their fear of this pandemic as an excuse to act on their prejudices. From March 2020 to February 2021, the organization Stop AAPI Hate has documented at least 3,795 attacks on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
On Thursday, April 22, YWCA Central Carolinas will be live streaming our Stand Against Racism 2021 forum, ‘Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis,’ at 5:30pm.
Public health is, and always has been, central to racial justice work. Structural racism plays a large role in determining the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. These factors affect people’s access to quality housing, education, food, transportation, political power, and other social determinants of health. Understanding and addressing systemic racism from this public health perspective is crucial to eliminating racial and ethnic inequities, and to improving opportunity and well-being across communities.
Join YWCA Central Carolinas as we explore the weathering effect that racism has on public health, especially for children and youth, with local public health and mental health experts. Our panelists are Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown, SVP & chief community health & wellness officer at Novant Health, Dr. Raynard Washington, deputy public health director for Mecklenburg County, and Calvin Fox, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and therapist at Perry Counseling. You can learn more about them in this blog post here.
You can register here to receive our YouTube link in advance.
On Friday, April 23, YWCA Central Carolinas invites our partners and supporters to hold their own Stands Against Racism.
This can look like:
- Taking a moment of silence in memory of those we’ve lost to hate crimes and police brutality.
- Holding up signs in front of your organizations, while social distancing, that ask passersby to honk for “racial justice,” “if they will vote,” etc.
- Posting on social media how you or your organization will combat racism using our hashtags (#StandCLT, #StandAgainstRacism, #RacismIsAPublicHealthCrisis).
- Wearing orange on Friday, April 23 to show support for YWCA Central Carolinas and our Racial Justice & Advocacy work.
- Driving by YWCA’s Park Road Campus between 11am and 1pm on Friday, April 23 and honking in supporting of our staff’s Stand.
- Sharing YWCA’s recommended reading, terms and other resources with friends, family and coworkers to expand knowledge and awareness on racial and social justice issues.
- Sign YWCA Central Carolinas’ Pledge Against Racism.
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