SCROLL
Beyond
Rhetoric
Confronting and Combating Racism
in Genesee County, Michigan
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
OUR PURPOSE
To develop, implement, and evaluate the impact of a community-wide strategic plan to end racist policies and practices in Genesee County, Michigan.
Project aims
1
To create a Community Action Council (CAC) to serve as the decision-making body responsible for developing and finalizing a strategic plan for eliminating racist policies and practices that impact the health and well-being of residents of color in Genesee County, Michigan.
2
Utilize community-engagement techniques to develop and finalize a strategic plan for eliminating racist policies and practices that impact the health and well-being of residents of color in Genesee County, Michigan.
3
To develop an Anti-Racism Resource website to assist local, state, and national organizations assess their current policies and practices as well as adopt anti-racist policies and practices that impact the health and wellbeing of people of color and communities more broadly.
Project Phases
Phase
1
Form
Community
Action
Council (CAC)
Phase
2
Draft
Strategic Plan to Eliminate Racist Policies and Practices
Phase
3
Present Strategic Plan Draft to the Community
for Comment
Phase
4
Form
Community Action Workgroups (CAW)
Phase
5
Implement and Evaluate
CAW Interventions
Community-Identified Priority Areas for Addressing Racist Policies and Practices
in Genesee County, Michigan
COMMUNITY
-
Improve Access for Navigating Community Systems (i.e., transportation and healthcare) for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Persons as well as Persons With Disabilities
-
Intentionally Diversity Networks (i.e., professional, social, religious) to Ensure Equitable Engagement and Access Across Race/Ethnicity, Gender, Class, and Religion
-
Provide Opportunities For Rest and Care For Those Engaged In Anti-Racism Work
EDUCATION
-
Require Anti-Racism Education for K-12+ Educators
-
Create and Utilize Anti-Racism Curriculum Throughout K-12 Teaching
-
Require All College and University Students to Complete Anti-Racism Coursework
-
Remove Police from Educational Institutions and Change Methods of Discipline in Pre-K-12 Schools
EMPLOYMENT
-
Teach Best Practices and Approaches That Maximize Employment Opportunities for A Diverse Workforce
-
Require Transparent Recruiting, Hiring, and Retention Processes and Policies
-
Enforce Anti-Discrimination Policies
FINANCE
-
Ensure that Decision-Making Bodies that Govern the Distribution of Resources and Finances Adopt an Equity Distribution Framework and Implement Anti-Racist Policies
-
Provide Financial Literacy Education for Youth and Beyond
HEALTH & HEALTHCARE
-
Improve Quality of Life and Life Expectancy Among Genesee County Residents by Creating and Implementing Policies That Mitigate the Impact of Redlining
-
End Food Apartheid in Genesee County by Increasing Access and Affordability to Healthy Foods
-
Reduce Exposure to Toxins and Pollution in Genesee County
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Increase Racial/Ethnic Minorities, Especially Bilingual Individuals, in Public Health and Healthcare Professions
HOUSING
-
Ensure Affordable Homeownership by Reducing Barriers to New Supply
-
Provide Tax Relief and Circuit Breaker Programs to Help Homeowners Avoid Utility Cut-Offs or Foreclosure Due to Unpaid Property Taxes or Utility Bills
-
Provide Foreclosure Prevention Programs to Help Households Keep Their Homes
-
Provide Financial Assistance for Home Safety Modifications, Rehabilitation, and Weatherization to Improve Home Quality and Safety
LAW ENFORCEMENT
-
Hire Mental Health Providers for Both Law Enforcement and Incarcerated Populations
-
Retrain Law Enforcement to Interact with Community Members, Especially Individuals with Mental Health Issues
-
Utilize Options Other Than Incarceration For the Mentally Ill and Those With Addiction Issues
POLITICS
-
Eliminate Voting Restrictions on Felons, Incarcerated Persons, and People on Probation
-
Abolish Winner Takes all Districts and Create Proportional Voting Systems
-
Require Politicians to Have Quarterly Check-Ins with the Communities they Represent
-
Adopt and Enforce Health in All Policies
Using community-based participatory research methods, we have identified priority areas and action items to address racist policies and practices in Genesee County, Michigan.
Where we are
Since the inception of this project we have and continue to utilize evidence-based and promising practices to ensure that our efforts are community engaged, supported by science, and are beneficial to the community. Currently we are working to identify and collaborate with individuals and groups already engaged in anti-racism work. Our vision is to remove community silos that result in duplication of efforts and unnecessary competition for funding. We aim to unite individuals and groups under common values and goals that directly respond to our community identified priority areas for addressing and eliminating racist policies and practices in Genesee County. We have developed this website to be a resource for housing best and promising practices in anti-racism.
Where we need to go
