Racism and its corrosive effects have come to define injustice in our country. Systemic racism, which embeds this corrosion into laws and practices, is associated with almost every social ill and is destroying our very democracy. But there is a better way. 

Racism can be, and is, confronted regularly by people of good will.  People have faced violence and even death and yet continue to believe and fight for what is good in us all. Racial justice movements, powered by such people, are characterized by a universal vision grounded in the best that humanity has to offer.   

That vision moves me on the occasion of Race Forward’s 40th Anniversary, and reminds me powerfully of the challenges and triumphs that we have achieved so far. One memory that stands out is from 2017, when the Center for Social Inclusion (CSI) and Race Forward merged. I was on the Board of CSI then. The merger included a Board vote to take on the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE). I did not know at that moment how important that vote would be. 

Today, GARE is a committed network of over 450 local, regional, and state-level government jurisdictions from 36 states and over 150 cities. The tens of thousands of government employees and officials in GARE are, right now, working through changes and interventions related to policies, practices, and procedures in communities nationwide, with their eyes set on racial justice. Their work is a strong avenue through which racism can be, and is being, confronted. GARE members are making significant improvements for historically-excluded communities.

Over the next 40 years, Race Forward will continue to work with these people of good will, and the racial justice movements with which we partner, to expand the networks, resources, and possibilities for all communities. Our ongoing work is nothing less than the crafting of a new vision for our democracy—a multi-racial vision embedded in, driven by, and supported through our institutions. 

Won’t you join us with a gift before December 31? Your generosity today is an investment in a future where communities of color are leading on the path to a democracy that will truly serve everyone.

In solidarity,

Cathy Albisa

Vice President - Institutional and Sectoral Change