During Black History Month, this nation has focused on the notable accomplishments and rich culture of those of African descent. This year seemed different however as we faced the effects of attacks on the teaching of Black history and the educational attainment of Black students. 

From the banning of books about Black History and the teaching of Advanced Placement Black History classes and Critical Race Theory (CRT) to the Supreme Court’s dismantling of affirmative action to the removal of Claudine Gay, the first Black president of Harvard University, this month’s celebrations seemed more intentional than ever, and rightfully so. Across this country, organizations, parents, students and yes, despite risks to their livelihood and personhood, some teachers ensured that the accomplishments of Blacks were acknowledged, taught, and celebrated.

Their efforts are not only commendable, but also essential in continuing to build a framework for Black people (young and old) to know their rich legacy of greatness, contradicting images often portrayed in mainstream media. It is also essential that we extend our focus on Black History beyond February as the contributions of Black people continue to make an indelible impact on this country’s progress. 

At Race Forward as we close out February, we encourage and invite you to join us in our charge to lift up Black History and Black culture all year long. We’re continuing the year energized to meet the challenges facing people of color, lifted up by the memories of those trailblazers who have shown us how to fight for racial equity. From their lessons, we’re ready to meet ongoing attacks on DEI, book bans, injustices in housing, criminal justice and climate policies, among others that disproportionately affect people of color. We’ll continue to offer training, toolkits, policy briefs, and other resources to empower developing activists and civil servants in this movement with us. We know how important this moment is and how important it is that we all stand together.

Learn more about our resources and training.

Call for Proposals Closing March 15

Interested in presenting a breakout session at the 2024 Facing Race Conference? The Call for Breakout Session proposals closes on March 15.

Facing Race is the nation’s largest multiracial, intergenerational racial justice conference, underscoring campaigns, projects, research, and art while promoting solutions to racial justice challenges. At Facing Race, attendees receive tools and knowledge to dismantle systemic racism in their communities.

Each breakout session can accommodate up to two presenters and is designed for an audience ranging from 45 to 75 attendees.

This year, we welcome in-person proposals for engaging 90-minute breakout sessions. These sessions may include film screenings, panel discussions, hands-on art projects, or skill-building. Each breakout session can accommodate up to two presenters and is designed for an audience ranging from 45 to 75 attendees.

Tracks to Consider for Your Session:

1. Power to Organize: Focus on the strategies and successes in building the collective power of communities of color to advance racial justice.

2. Power to Transform Institutions: Delve into the steps and strategies to embed racial equity within institutional decision-making processes and policies, reshaping public sectors for the better.

3. Power to Shape Narrative: Engage with tools and strategies that craft stories that challenge racial stereotypes and promote unity.

Be sure to integrate these core elements into your presentations, ensuring they resonate with our overarching theme and tracks. We encourage you to submit your proposal soon!

Our Latest

Dr. Gary Delgado Returns to Race Forward

Race Forward is excited to announce the return of our founder, Dr. Gary Delgado.

As senior fellow, Dr. Delgado will advance health equity in the treatment, prevention, and discussion of aphasia, a language disorder that affects a person’s ability to communicate.

"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."

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.

Racial Equity Training Series

Take a powerful step towards dismantling systemic racism. Our Racial Equity Training Series is a collection of interactive sessions to help you deepen your understanding of key racial equity concepts and tools.

Here’s a look at what’s coming up:

Building Racial Equity — March 5 + March 12

This foundational course explains racial justice values and vision, defines key concepts of racial justice and racism, and emphasizes opportunities to challenge and change institutional racial inequities.

Decision-Making for Racial Equity — March 19

This engaging training uses Race Forward's Racial Equity Decision-making Tool (RED Tool) to guide participants through building an organization-wide racial equity decision-making practice and culture that centers communities and community members who will be most impacted by the decisions.

Prerequisite: Building Racial Equity

Governing for Racial Equity — March 26

Designed for those working within government, this interactive training, which includes facilitated discussion, exercises, and video, provides an introduction to the role, responsibilities and opportunities for government to advance racial equity by focusing on normalizing racial equity as a core value; operationalizing racial equity through new policies and institutional practice; and organizing for racial equity, both internally and in partnership with other institutions and the community.

In addition to our Racial Equity Training Series, we offer customized training for individuals, groups, and organizations. Find all of our trainings offerings here.

Public School Strong Training

Students, families, educators, and school board members across America are facing unprecedented attacks from far-right extremists who want to dismantle our public schools.

But if we show up, speak out, and make our voices heard, we can take back the momentum.

On Tuesday, March 12, H.E.A.L. (Honest Education Action and Leadership) Together is kicking off the Public School Strong campaign with a monthly training series to give public school parents, family members, educators and supporters from across the country the tools they need to show up and effectively push school districts to promote, protect and strengthen our public schools.

Public school parents, family members, educators and supporters from across the country will learn:

• How to show your support for well-resourced and inclusive public schools
• What to look for in your districts' school board meetings
• How to form a Public School Strong team in your school district
• Ways to join a national movement to protect and transform public schools that serve all children

Momentum Podcast Reaches 200K Downloads

Started five years ago, Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast has hit the milestone of 200K downloads, putting it in the top 5 percent of podcasts. 

On the latest episode of Momentum, Race Forward’s Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations Dr. Kerry Mitchell Brown speaks with Ayana Parsons, co-founder of the The Fearless Fund about her trailblazing work, and the next steps in the fight for black economic advancement.

The conversation follows up on events from last August, when Edward Blum, president of the American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER), filed an anti-affirmative action lawsuit against The Fearless Fund. In response, Brown penned an op-ed about the fight against Black economic advancement that appeared in the Washington Informer.

ICYMI: We’re on Threads!

To meet the changing landscape of social media, Race Forward is now active on Threads, a new social media channel to further the conversation on racial equity in the US. You can start your own Threads profile through your Instagram account.

We hope your February has been one of celebration and progress. Visit raceforward.org to learn more about our work. 

In solidarity,
Team Race Forward