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Race Forward Condemns President Trump’s Executive Orders

Posted on

For Immediate Release

Jan. 21, 2025

WASHINGTON, DC – The national racial justice organization Race Forward today issued a statement in response to President Trump’s executive orders. Race Forward President and Chief Executive Officer Glenn Harris said: 

“The Executive Orders signed by Donald Trump directly threaten the ideals of democracy and justice we strive to uphold. To create a more perfect union requires people of conscience and the racial justice movement must continue to play a central role in ensuring their voices are heard above the swirl of executive orders.

“Public support for racial justice has left Trump with one option, executive orders. His decision to ignore the process of democracy is a direct reaction to the success of racial justice efforts over the last decades. The fierce attack on racial justice is driven by the reality of its eventual success given most Americans support addressing historic inequities and creating a fair society. According to a poll by The Washington Post and Ipsos, roughly 6 in 10 Americans believe diversity, equity and inclusion programs are ‘a good thing.’

“Attacks on racial equity do not happen in isolation. These executive orders, while targeting different populations, have the cumulative effect of erasing past gains toward advancing racial justice and a multicultural democracy in service of creating systems that ensure the levers of power and wealth are controlled and maintained by only a few. 

“The attack on government employees is particularly egregious.  Harassment of federal workers and the American public they serve, particularly communities of color, harm all communities. Efforts to eliminate federal employees from protections by unions are contradictory to civil servants performing their duties for all communities  without fear of retribution. 

“President Trump’s executive order on gender identity seeks to further endanger trans communities and non-binary people. Likewise, the administration’s attacks on immigration will continue to separate children from their families while weakening the foundations of our economy. The denial of fundamental rights and civil liberties is antithetical to the racial justice movement.

“One need not be a part of these communities to understand that justice and equity are dependent on the most vulnerable in society. Our fates are interconnected; the struggle is for all. We must remember the words of Ella Baker  “… freedom for all of us rests on ensuring it for the most marginalized among us.”
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Facing Race Conference to Host Groundbreaking National Health Equity Grand Rounds Series

Posted on

For Immediate Release

November 20, 2024

NEW YORK – Race Forward announced today that it will host the American Medical Association’s (AMA) National Health Equity Grand Rounds panel conversation during the Facing Race conference on November 21 in St. Louis. The National Health Equity Grand Rounds aims to deepen understanding of health inequities, shape national discourse, and outline strategies to improve the nation’s health.

The AMA, along with other organizations including the Missouri Foundation for Health, serves as a Trailblazer Sponsor for this year’s Facing Race conference—which is the nation’s largest multiracial, multi-disciplinary and intergenerational racial justice convening with more than 4,000 expected attendees.

“We are pleased to have the AMA bring this focus on health equity to Facing Race. Their systemic approach to addressing inequities across the health care ecosystem aligns with our theory of change to transform and equip systems to advance racial equity,” said Race Forward President Glenn Harris. “We are also pleased to have the AMA as a Trailblazer Sponsor for our event. Their participation at this level is yet another testimony to the organization’s commitment to advancing health equity.”

The National Health Equity Grand Rounds will be accessible in-person and virtually during Facing Race on Nov. 21 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CT. Under the theme “Rewrite the Script: Narrative Transformation for Equity in Health,” the session will showcase national thought leaders from diverse backgrounds—including physicians, writers, artists, and digital media experts—sharing insights on how we can challenge harmful narratives and reshape our approach to health.

The panel will open with a keynote from Rinku Sen, MS, Executive Director for the Narrative Initiative, and continue with a conversation including Emmy-nominated producer, writer and physician Mehret Mandefro, MD, PhD; Google Health’s Global Lead for Healthcare and Public Health Garth Graham MD, MPH; Bay Love, MBA, a principal at the Groundwater Institute and lifelong civil rights organizer whose career began in healthcare at a federally qualified health center, and Michelle Browder, the multi-hyphenate innovator, entrepreneur and artist who created the “Mothers of Gynecology” monument and park in Montgomery, Alabama. The AMA will also host arts-based experiences for conference attendees in the exhibit hall and atrium, with artworks and engagements created by Michelle Browder and Laolu Senbanjo, a Nigerian bred, Brooklyn based multidisciplinary artist, around the theme ‘Health Justice is our Co-Creation’.”

“We are excited to curate this unique space for cross-cultural collaboration,” Harris said.

In addition to the Grand Rounds, attendees will have the opportunity to interact with leaders within the racial justice movement during breakout sessions, plenaries, and a keynote address from MSNBC Host and author Joy Reid.

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About Facing Race:

Throughout its 17-year history, Facing Race has been a one-of-a-kind space that allows community organizers, activists, and movement makers from across the country to meet up, build strategies for advancing racial justice, and receive inspiration for the work ahead. To learn more about Facing Race, visit facingrace.raceforward.org

 

 

 

Race Forward Founder Dr. Gary Delgado to Help Advance Health Equity in the Treatment, Prevention and Discussion of Aphasia Rejoining the Organization as Senior Fellow

Posted on

For Immediate Release

January 8, 2024

WASHINGTON, DC – Race Forward today announced that its founder, Dr. Gary Delgado, a nationally recognized author, organizer, researcher, and activist on issues of race and social justice, will return to the organization as a senior fellow. In this role, Delgado will advance health equity in the treatment, prevention, and discussion of aphasia. Aphasia is a language disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate. It can occur suddenly after a stroke or head injury, or develop overtime as a side effect to a brain tumor or other health condition.

In the United States, two and a half million residents live with aphasia, and this number increases by 200,000 annually. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that Black and Latino communities are more likely to have strokes than their white counterparts. Additionally, middle-aged Black people (between 45 and 64) are three times more likely than their white peers to have strokes.

“The goal of this project is to center people with aphasia, with an emphasis on people of color. We aim to drive innovation and diverse approaches in treating aphasia,” Delgado said. “We also want to shine a light on the need to train and recruit more diverse speech pathologists, healthcare and social services professionals.”

Dr. Delgado received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley in 1983. Frustrated with the unwillingness of community organizing to explicitly address race at that time, he founded the Center for Third World Organizing, the country’s first organizer training institute with a racial justice focus. He subsequently founded the Applied Research Center (now Race Forward) to give “intellectual ammunition” to organizers and activists working on racial justice.

His latest endeavor was spurred by his own experience. Delgado has lived with aphasia since 2019 when he suffered a stroke. When his speech did not improve as quickly as he wanted, he began looking into alternative therapies. After noticing very few alternative therapies, especially ones designed to address racial disproportionalities, Delgado began thinking about strategies to organize with persons of color directly impacted by aphasia.

“Race Forward recognizes that racial inequities – including within health care – are pervasive and profound. They can impact a person’s quality of life and ability to thrive,” said Glenn Harris, president, Race Forward. “Since so much of the American experience is influenced by race, this is an area that must be consistently addressed.”

“Race Forward’s partnership with Delgado follows our longstanding commitment to racial equity in every facet of life,” Harris concluded. “It also follows our work with the Rise to Health Coalition, where we work with partners to advance policies and solutions to transform the health care ecosystem so all people have the power, circumstances and resources to achieve optimal health.”

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RACE FORWARD COMMENDS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ON RELEASE OF SECOND HISTORIC RACIAL EQUITY EXECUTIVE ORDER

Posted on

For Immediate Release

February 16, 2023

Race Forward, a national racial justice organization,  congratulates the Biden Administration on the issue of its second historic Executive Order mandating racial equity across policy and practice within the federal government, Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government. The significance of this Executive Order cannot be overstated as it is the first time in our nation’s history we have a formal, sustained commitment to institutionalize racial equity at the national level.  The order recognizes that this work is a multi-generational commitment to the American people. 

“As an organization that has been working  to advance racial equity in our policies and institutions for more than 40 years, we commend the Biden Administration on this second commitment to embed racial equity within the federal government,” said Glenn Harris, President of Race Forward. “This Executive Order will operationalize racial equity in federal policies and practices, resulting in significantly improved outcomes for all communities, and particularly communities of color,  in this nation.

We applaud the steadfast commitment of the Biden Administration as demonstrated by this Executive Order. For two years, the Administration has taken these steps in the face of backlash against progress for racial justice, white nationalists violence, and political assaults. It is fitting that this order was issued during Black History month at the very moment extremist Governors are seeking to prevent even the teaching of Black History.  The attacks on Black History are a bellwether for ongoing assaults on our collective history across communities. 

 The Executive Order calls for a sustained commitment—human and economic resources—to racial equity work, accurate data for government decisions, increased investment in small, disadvantaged businesses in under-served communities, and consulting impacted communities in developing solutions to inequity.  It also recognizes that racial inequity is interlinked with inequity based on gender, disability, environmental injustice and more. 

“By issuing this second Executive Order, the Biden Administration is doubling-down and sending a clear signal that racial equity is a priority.” said Carlton Eley, Senior Director of Federal Strategies at Race Forward. “Equally important, the Administration is demonstrating that racial equity is imperative for our country to move forward as a strong nation.”

As the home of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), we are keenly aware that this historic order emerges from almost 20 years of work by local governments in cities and counties across the country.  

“When we started GARE we realized the potential for government to lead on racial equity and ensure all residents have opportunities to achieve successful outcomes,” said Julie Nelson, Senior Vice President of Programs at Race Forward and Co-founder of GARE. “As we have been gathering momentum at the local level, we have also begun to experience push back from extremists. It is reassuring to see the federal government take on this charge to sustain and further the gains that have been made in many local jurisdictions across this country.”

Racial equity work improves outcomes not only for communities of color, but for all communities, and it strengthens our systems for all by transforming how government operates. This, in turn, creates the foundation for the multiracial democracy we need for all neighborhoods and communities to thrive. 

 

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ABOUT RACE FORWARD

Race Forward was founded in 1981 and brings systemic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help people take effective action toward racial equity. Working to build community  and narrative power, Race Forward strives to advance racial equity across all sections. Race Forward is home to the Government Alliance on Race and Equity and Colorlines.