Across this country, we are seeing culture wars affecting our children’s right to a full and honest education by banning books and limiting conversations about race, sexual orientation, and gender identity.  These topics are incorrectly being labeled as Critical Race Theory (CRT), an advanced-level school of thought about how race has shaped this country’s policies and systems. Yet, parents are being told that talking about and learning about our nation’s history and all the people who are a part of it will harm their children, and states are implementing policies to prevent these honest conversations. 

These policies began emerging following moments of racial awakening and aren’t about creating environments conducive to learning, but rather about limiting multiracial progress by consolidating political power in the hands of a few.

Join Us This Evening For An Important Conversation!

To counter these actions, Race Forward initiated Honest Education Action and Leadership (H.E.A.L.) Together, to help communities organize for strong schools and a multiracial democracy. 

“Regardless of whether you have children in school, the debate around the accurate teaching of American history and contemporary issues of gender, race and sex is one that impacts us all,” said Glenn Harris, president of Race Forward.

H.E.A.L. Together is a comprehensive campaign to counter attacks on CRT and other efforts that undermine a quality education and a strong democracy. Spearheaded by Race Forward and partners, the campaign will share tools to help educators, parents and advocates organize their schools and communities to be more inclusive and equitable.  

Facing Race Updates

Early Bird Registration closes Friday, April 1.  Register now to save 15% on your registration cost for both in-person and online registration.

We Want to Hear From You:

As we prepare to host Facing Race in Phoenix, AZ, and online, we want your opinion on how to best present this conference to ensure our attendees have an impactful experience while staying safe.  Take the Survey before it closes on  April 1 and be entered into a raffle to receive 1 of 5 E-gift cards from Race Forward, valued at $25.00 each. 

Want to Get Involved at Facing Race?

Check out these deadlines!

April 1 - Proposal to host a Breakout Session

April 4 - Submit you Race Flick film 

May 1 - Volunteer to help us onsite

Visit Facing Race.raceforward.org for the latest updates!

Save the Date for Upcoming April Events

Coming Soon!

#RaceAnd Femicide - April 14

Gendered and racialized violence can have deadly consequences for women of color, from the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous and Black women, to targeted attacks against Asian women, to ongoing violence against trans and gender non-conforming people, to the trafficking of immigrant women.

Join us to explore steps we can take as a collective society to find transformative solutions that do not perpetuate violence and further criminalize people, but rather get to the root causes of femicide and how we can combat it.

Governing for Racial Equity - April 28

We are pleased to announce the newest entry to our Racial Equity Training. Governing for Racial Equity is a training for those working in government and provides an introduction to the role, responsibilities and opportunities for government to advance racial equity. Participants will focus on normalizing racial equity as a core value with clear definitions of key terminology, operationalizing racial equity via new policies and institutional practice, and organizing, both internally and in partnership with other institutions and the community. 

Other Training This Month

Building Racial Equity - emphasize how to challenge and change institutional racial inequities.

April 7

April 12

April 14

Decision-Making for Racial Equity - engages and guides participants through building an organization-wide racial equity decision-making practice and culture that centers Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander staff and communities. 

April 26

Staff Pick

During these trying times, it's important to share the things that keep us going. In this edition, we hear from our Manager, H.E.A.L. , Maria Dautruche.

"I like to visit the PURPLE Universe. Researched and developed by SLMDances – a New York City-based dance-theater collective that works in communities to organize for gender and racial justice through experiential dance performance – PURPLE is a multi-project universe that illuminates the power of “deep sisterhood for social change” through storytelling and movement. Honestly, the best way to understand PURPLE is to experience PURPLE. I invite others to start with this podcast and explore the zines." - Maria

What are you listening to, watching, reading and learning?

Tell us on Twitter or Facebook.

In solidarity,

Team Race Forward