Hi Everyone,
I want to let everyone know about some learning opportunities that we will be offering in the coming months. The events of the past year have caused the country to take a hard look at the issue of equity in our society, particularly the issues of inequity based on race and income. These issues are at the heart of our mission, and our values have always focused on equity as we work to ensure that all individuals and families in York County have equal opportunity for success.
We have had several requests from staff for opportunities to learn more about inequity – the facts, the causes, the history and ways to address it. With the Action Team’s input, we have put together a series of activities for staff here at YCCAC focused on racial inequity and inequity based on income. Our goal for these activities is for us to use this knowledge to better serve our clients/patients and in our work with fellow YCCAC staff.
We are going to offer a range of opportunities to suit different interests – some activities people can do on their own, some group activities and some staff trainings. We are starting with a book discussion group on How to Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram Kendi. This is a great introduction to racial inequity, and an extremely interesting and well written book. The group will meet for two 60 minute discussions, with dates and times TBD based on participants’ availability. Bekah and I will co-lead the discussions and YCCAC will provide copies of the book (hard copy, digital or audio). If you are interested in participating or learning more, please email Bekah by end of the day this Friday at Rebekah.Hayes@yccac.org.
For those who are interested in doing something on your own, we are creating a new library of books on equity. The library will include, for example, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson and Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond, both excellent books. The library books are on order and will be located in the Library Conference Room at Spruce Street. We’ll put the complete list of books on the BB for easy access. If you are interested in a book, please let Bekah know and she can check availability and put it aside for you.
Coming soon, we will offer discussion groups organized around a video and one a book about income inequity, and in the future staff trainings.
If you have questions or ideas for other activities, please don’t hesitate to email me. These are critically important issues, and I hope you will take advantage of these opportunities to learn more about them.
Carter