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Join Congressional Black Caucus Foundation on IG Live, Thursday, April 6 at 6:30 pm ET for a discussion on The Power of Rest with CURE’s Dr. Judy Lubin, an NREI Ambassador, and NREI Senior Program Manager, Solomon Ayalew. The National Racial Equity Initiative (NREI) Taskforce, comprised of academics, influencers, community activists, corporate leaders, and youth, is a cohort dedicated to challenging racial injustice and advancing racial equity and social justice reform. Our ambassadors are committed to and have a proven record in confronting issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and supporting and improving the racial justice landscape. Read the new publication, The Power of Rest, available now: cbcfinc.org/publications

As the end of the year approaches, the CURE team is taking time to reflect on this past year and express our appreciation to you for being a part of our community and the powerful work we are engaged in collectively to bring forth equity and justice. We are deeply grateful for the labor, passion and contributions of our team of racial equity practitioners and consultants, and in alignment with our commitment to self-care, rest and joy, CURE will be closed for our annual winter break December 22 through January 4.  We are thrilled to share a brief summary of our accomplishments and ongoing partnerships this year. In 2022 we:  Deepened Partnerships and Provided Research and Facilitation to Support Racial Justice   Convened Black policy experts and advocates to support the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Data for Black America Project. Collaborated with ZERO To Three Policy Center to create a racial equity policy analysis rubric and style guide. Continued our focus and commitment to housing and community development organizations, including facilitating our Racial Equity Organizational Change process with Housing Partnership Network and launching a new engagement to support racial equity strategy and evaluation design with Stewards for Affordable Housing Futures. Conducted a landscape review to open funding opportunities to Black, Indigenous and People of Color grassroots organizations focused on transforming the criminal-legal system. Partnered with Florida Memorial Social Justice Institute to conduct research including focus groups and interviews that will tell the story of a coalition of 12 Black-led organizations based in Miami-Dade County.  Created Resources to Support Racial Equity Change Facilitators  Released Charting the Journey: Strategies to Guide Racial Equity Organizational Change, a comprehensive guide to support racial equity transformation processes. Launched the Leading Racial Equity Organizational Change Program which includes a five-day intensive training taking place in Washington, DC in March 2023 and online community for ongoing peer exchange, coaching and support from CURE. Registration is open now with remote offerings coming soon. Hosted our Understanding Institutional and Structural Racism (UISR) Train-the-Trainer workshop designed to provide race, equity and inclusion practitioners with an established curricula and training tools for building shared language and understanding with staff and racial equity working groups and committees. Participants included in-house racial equity facilitators and consultants representing a diverse range of nonprofit organizations and government agencies including the CT Community Nonprofit Alliance, Committee for Public Council Services, Monterey County Health Department, Legal Services Center and Massachusetts Advocates for Children. Shaping Conversations on Key Issues  Participated in several panels held across the country that explored topics including Black health equity, strengthening social movements, how philanthropy can support racial equity, and how community development finance institutions can change policies to address racial equity. CURE’s Dr. Judy Lubin joined the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s inaugural National Racial Equity Initiative (NREI) Task Force for Social Justice to empower action-driven change.  With the historic confirmation of Supreme Justice Ketanji Brown, we offered reflections and commentary with YES! Magazine and Black New Channel’s AMplified with Aisha Mills and released a statement expressing our joy, pride and celebration. Highlighted the ongoing legislative threats to racial equity in states across the country, exemplified by Florida’s Stop Woke Act. We thank you for your support and partnership and look forward to learning, growing and building with you in the coming year.  With gratitude and wishes for a restorative and joyful holiday season, The CURE Team 

If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together— I am inspired by this well-known African proverb as it reflects what our guest and I discussed in this episode of the Inclusive Enterprise Podcast —the importance of working together. Learning and moving forward. We all can contribute to an equitable culture in the workplace and in the communities where we live. It’s a process. As we marked the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd and approach another year of anniversaries for the murders of Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, and so many more – the question begging to be asked is what real change has occurred? Or have we lost momentum? Our distinguished guest is Dr. Judy Lubin an analyst, equity strategist, and President of CURE (the Center for Urban and Racial Equity). CURE is a strategic research and consulting firm that partners with people and organizations to advance equity through policy, systems, institutional, and community change. Dr. Lubin is also a researcher and adjunct professor in the Howard University Department of Sociology and Criminology where her research focuses on race, gentrification, health, and social policy. She recently published the  Racial Equity Report to provide organizational leaders with a clear plan to help them make measurable improvements in their racial equity transformational efforts.  It serves as a tangible resource for Nonprofit Leaders to Deliver on Anti-racist Pledges Made in 2020. Our insightful conversation is an important reminder of the value of race equity within the nonprofit sector and that all sectors can learn from. We discussed several tangible steps for framing the issue within your organization and working to move towards greater equity. Doing so can make your organization’s workplace and community where you live, more effective and impactful. Professor Lubin regularly writes about the intersection of race, politics, and media on her site and as a contributor to the Huffington Post.  She has also been featured on national and local media including The Wall Street Journal, PBS.org, Baltimore Sun, Ebony Magazine, theRoot.com, Chicago Sun Times, Reuters, XM Satellite Radio, Diverse Issues in Higher Education, among others. Listen to the full podcast at https://inclusiveleadersgroup.com/charting-the-journey-strategies-to-guide-racial-equity-organizational-change-with-dr-judy-lubin-phd-mph/.

We are outraged by this week’s federal ruling to uphold HB 7, also known as the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act. Now set to take effect on July 1, 2022, this legislation will limit discussions on racism in Florida schools and workplaces by prohibiting any training that makes an individual uncomfortable in any way.  HB 7 will impose severe penalties on educators, equity trainers and businesses in Florida. This legislation will silence needed conversations about our nation’s history and hinder the efforts of those working to address historic and present day racism. Part of a nationwide campaign to smear Critical Race Theory, the Stop WOKE Act has been criticized by legal experts across the political spectrum, who have said the law flouts well-established Supreme Court precedent and sets a dangerous path for further erosion of freedom of speech. Furthermore, this decision to allow HB 7 to take effect is especially devastating amidst a week of Supreme Court rulings turning back progress on important issues of equity and justice, including the reversal of Roe v. Wade. 

The Center for Urban and Racial Equity (CURE) outlines concrete opportunities for organizations to uphold their commitments to dismantle institutional racism. WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, May 26, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Today, the Center for Urban and Racial Equity (CURE) announced the release of its highly anticipated report designed to equip organizational leaders to deliver on the anti-racist commitments they made in 2020. ​​Based on CURE’s extensive experience guiding nonprofit leaders through racial equity organizational change processes over nearly five years, the report outlines concrete ways for organizations to make measurable improvements in their racial equity transformation efforts, containing case studies and organizational trends observed through CURE’s work. The full report can be downloaded here. Read the full press release here.

The confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the 116th Justice of the Supreme Court is a groundbreaking moment for the nation and in the Court’s 233-year history.  “Judge Jackson’s confirmation to the Supreme Court affirms what we’ve always known – a Black woman’s place is everywhere, including the highest court of the land,” says CURE President Dr. Judy Lubin. “Judge Jackson earned this moment and Black women in this country have earned this long overdue moment of representation and acknowledgment of our talents and contributions.  Of the 115 justices previously appointed to the Court, Black women have conspicuously been absent. Meaningful representation matters and Judge Jackson’s confirmation is particularly meaningful because of who she is and the breadth and depth of experience she’ll bring to the Court. From an early age, Judge Jackson faced the sting of racism when naysayers tried to dampen her aspirations. When she told her high school guidance counselor that she wanted to attend Harvard, her counselor said she should not set her sights “so high.” Judge Jackson went on to not only graduate from Harvard, but to attend Harvard Law School.  Her distinguished career has included clerking for Justice Stephen Breyer and serving as a federal public defender and judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Judge Jackson’s remarkable record includes service as Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission and her current position on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit Court.  For many Black women and women of color, a long list of professional accomplishments is still accompanied by unrelenting and intense scrutiny by those in positions of power that question our intellect, choices and aspirations. Just as Judge Jackson’s high school counselor would be part of a long list of individuals who may have doubted or questioned her brilliance, each time she has aspired to a higher level in her judicial career, she faced detractors. During her confirmation hearing, Republican senators engaged in theatrics that exemplified the racist and sexist tactics that occur everyday to downplay and question Black women’s intellect and qualifications.  We honor the power and resilience of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson through hours of unfounded attacks and share in the joy, pride and celebration of this historic moment. In an era when Black women’s leadership is transforming institutions and pushing the nation toward equity and justice, with her record of public service and lived experience, Justice Jackson will be a powerful voice as critical issues come before on the bench.

Dr. Judy Lubin joins the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s inaugural National Racial Equity Initiative (NREI) Task Force for Social Justice. NREI’s mission is to combat systemic injustice and advance racial equity, human rights, education, and economic development opportunities for the Black community.  The NREI Task Force of Social Justice Ambassadors will work in collaboration with NREI to disseminate research and information, advance policy, and community-based solutions, develop relevant programming, share best practices, and raise awareness through media and mass movements for change with attention to youth activism, community organizing, and grassroots mobilization.  Dr. Lubin joins six other NREI Social Justice Ambassadors:  Erika Alexander, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Color Farm Media LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder, Black Voters Matter Tamir D. Harper, Co-Founder, UrbEd Inc. Principal Baruti Kafele, Education Consultant, Principal Kafele Consulting, LLC Nupol Kiazolu, Founder, We Protect Us Dr. Maurice Stinnett, Global Head of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Warner Music Group For more information on the National Racial Equity Initiative Task Force for Social Justice Ambassadors, read the CBCF’s press release. 

As 2021 draws to a close and we prepare to take the next few weeks for rest, reflection and planning for the new year ahead, the CURE team would like to thank you for being in partnership and community with us. Every year we are inspired by the collective action across communities and organizations to make racial equity and justice real, and are grateful for the opportunities to support the incredible change that is happening in the midst of turbulent and trying times. We are excited to share a few highlights of our work in 2021 to build pathways for racial equity to take root through organizational, institutional and policy change. Transforming Institutions and Organizations Building Connections and Capacity for Change – This year CURE launched the Facilitating Racial Equity Organizational Change cohort program to support organizations seeking to launch or deepen existing efforts to practice racial equity internally and in their communities. Through an interactive learning lab for racial equity teams from participating organizations, the 3-month program was designed to build relationships and strengthen the capacity of participants to apply a racial equity lens, critically assess organizational culture, programs, services and practices, and identify strategies and actions that confront racism and support transformational change. Participating organizations in the inaugural cohort included Swetland Center for Environmental Health, Washington Center for Equitable Growth, Coalition For Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, and Drug Policy Alliance. “Our training with CURE, the readings and lessons, helped us identify structural racism more quickly.” – Cohort Participant “We would get together and do the readings. Colleagues would get on Slack and comment about a particular reading like “did you see this?” or “did you read that?” and it was good to keep the momentum going even with the length of the training.” – Cohort Participant Deep Partnerships that Create Pathways for Racial Equity – We continue to be in deep partnership with several national and local organizations through facilitation of our signature Racial Equity Organizational Change (REOC) process. In 2021, our REOC client partners included Health Care for the Homeless (Baltimore), Reinvestment Fund, ZERO TO THREE Policy Center and ZERO TO THREE (organization-wide), McClure Elementary and Housing Partnership Network. Through over 15 REOC processes in the last three years, CURE has surveyed over 2,200 nonprofit employees and conducted over 50 focus groups, providing us with deep insights on the state of racial equity in nonprofit organizations. We look forward to sharing our learnings in 2022 with a new report and series of workshops and training opportunities. Reflecting on Trends and Learnings – Throughout the year, CURE participated in webinars, podcasts and events including the Possible Project’s Talent Justice webinar series exploring how the social sector has underpaid, overworked, and endangered employees. In July, Borealis Philanthropy’s REACH program, of which CURE is a grantee, interviewed CURE’s President Dr. Judy Lubin on the resiliency of racial equity practitioners over a turbulent year. CURE also had a chance to chat with Hattaway Communications on the Achieve Great Things podcast. The conversation covered what racial equity looks like at work, how organizations can prioritize racial equity, and some of what Hattaway has learned through their work with CURE. Promoting Equitable Policies and Community Change Operationalizing Racial Equity in City Planning – Building on our commitment to equitable housing and community development, the CURE team supported the DC Office of Planning in applying a racial equity lens in neighborhood planning efforts for three Small Area Plans (SAPs) focused on economic development in predominantly Black Congress Heights and Pennsylvania Ave, SE and on expanding affordable housing in Chevy Chase. CURE provided training and facilitation of visioning sessions and racial equity workshops with agency staff, equity research and analysis, and recommendations on plans developed by the agency for each SAP. CURE’s work was part of ensuring that the SAPs align with requirements of the DC Council Office of Racial Equity (CORE) Bringing Activist Perspectives to Child Welfare Professionals – In the summer, in partnership with ZERO TO THREE, CURE organized and facilitated a webinar on racial justice advocacy from service providers. The webinar, Expanding Our Definition of Services: Racial Justice Advocacy from Service Providers, featured Dawn-Marie Luna, Michelle Grier and Fallon Speaker. During the webinar, current and former service providers to families in the family regulation system offered perspectives on how to advocate for families from the vantage point of racial justice. Webinar participants learned about connecting families to legal/policy advocacy, prioritizing the rights of families during services, and movement building with families. Media and Policy Advocacy –  As a trusted voice on racial equity, CURE had several opportunities to share our perspective with media on important topics including how to ensure an equitable rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines. CURE kicked off the year by joining a panel discussion during The Hill’s Race and Justice Imperative. The virtual event included conversations on race and racism, the conditions that perpetuate inequality, and why this moment could serve as a catalyst to help us unite and build a better nation. In March we joined other advocates demanding justice following the horrendous events in Atlanta resulting in the death of eight people, including six Asian women.The tragedy is a reflection of the intersections of racism and sexism that often target sex workers, migrants, women, femmes, and other vulnerable populations. In September, we called out the Biden administration for the racist and dehumanizing treatment of Haitian asylum seekers at the border. The Biden administration’s continued use of Trump-era Title 42 represents a betrayal to its broader commitment to racial equity. In the spring, CURE’s Dr. Judy Lubin appeared in a special televised event with actor and director Regina King along with Black women dermatologists for the Vaseline and BET Equitable Skincare For All campaign. During her appearance, Dr. Lubin highlighted the ways in which structural racism contributes to health inequities including disparities in treatment and care received by Black patients. Recognizing the significance of the Build Back Better Act, CURE released, Five Ways the Build Back […]

Members of Congress are currently debating the fate of a social safety net package containing a number of historic investments with the potential to direct critical resources to address deep health and economic inequities faced by Black and brown communities. Through transformational policies like the Child Tax Credit, universal pre-K, paid leave and significant expansion of health and social programs, the Build Back Better Act offers a concrete step toward building the “human infrastructure” needed to drive an equitable future and economy.  In this post, we highlight five ways the Build Back Better Act can promote racial equity and justice through generational investments in quality, affordable housing, health care, child care, education and resources to tackle climate change. By investing in these programs along with funding roads, railways, bridges and broadband internet, the two bills together could generate new jobs, help narrow the racial wealth gap and improve quality of life in local communities. While these bills alone won’t undue generations of systemic inequities, they offer an unprecedented opportunity to establish a firm foundation to meaningfully promote racial equity, build economic security among low-income workers and families, and ensure every community has the social and physical infrastructure needed to thrive. WHERE THE BUILD BACK BETTER ACT STANDS NOW House Democrats have advanced President Biden’s Build Back Better plan through a process called reconciliation that would pass the legislation through a simple majority in the Senate. House Democrats have also made a commitment to pass the plan together with a bipartisan infrastructure package that was passed in the Senate in August. The separate infrastructure package would cover funding to improve roads, bridges and public transportation.  The Build Back Better Act, however, has faced pushback by moderate Democrats Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), who oppose the total cost of the package and tax and climate change provisions included in the bill. The initial plan was estimated at $3.5 trillion and only represented 1.2% of GDP over ten years. Opposition by moderate Democrats has resulted in proposed cuts that will likely reduce the total package to between $1.5 – 2.3 trillion. Progressive Democrats have advocated to keep funding at the levels proposed in the initial outline of the package but are negotiating with moderates in their caucus and with President Biden to ensure a bill is passed by the end of October when funding for many major transportation programs will expire. Negotiations have centered around eliminating tuition-free community college, reducing the timeframe for when expansion of programs such as the Child Tax Credit and Affordable Care Act subsidies would expire, and lower funding amounts than originally proposed for housing and home-based care for seniors and people with disabilities. With potentially more cuts on the table, the chance to make transformational investments to advance racial equity may be lost.  WHAT’S AT STAKE Affordable Housing & Homeownership  People of color disproportionately represent renters with lower incomes – 20% of Black households and 14% of Latinx households have incomes of 30 percent Area Median Income (AMI) or below, compared to 6% of white households. Although Black residents makeup 13% of the general population, they account for nearly 40% of people experiencing homelessness. Black renters also face higher rates of evictions. Nearly one in four Black renters live in a county where the eviction rate is more than double compared to white renters facing eviction. Evictions fall more heavily on women, with Black and Latinx women more likely to experience evictions than men. These inequities are a product of racist housing policies that have crippling impacts on communities of color. The Build Back Better Act contains groundbreaking investments in housing including the creation of 750,000 housing vouchers to prevent evictions and homelessness and includes provisions to build and preserve rental housing by investing in new construction, rural housing, $80 billion to repair and preserve public housing and funding to assist with down payments to help aspiring homeowners. Health  Black and brown people experience higher rates of chronic health conditions associated with a lack of access to quality, affordable health care and inequitable neighborhood conditions including fewer healthy food outlets, health care providers and green spaces for recreation. The pandemic only exacerbated these pre-existing racial injustices. The plan contains various provisions that promote community development including funding for community land banks, increased investment in the Community Development Block Grant program and improvements to zoning and land use.  The plan will reduce the price of prescription drugs, extend recent enhancements to the Affordable Care Act such as increased tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies for families facing hardship, and close the Medicaid coverage gap in the 12 states that have not expanded the program. People of color account for sixty percent of the over 2 million adults with low incomes that lack access to quality, affordable health care because of the Medicaid coverage gap. The Build Back Better act also incorporates the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act (Momnibus) designed to end the maternal mortality crisis that disproportionately affects Black and Indigenous people. The Momnibus includes an extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage for 12 months in every state. One-third of maternal deaths happen in the postpartum period. This expansion will provide the necessary community-based and social support families need after birth. The original plan also included up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to take time off for an illness or to care for a new baby or sick family member. The U.S. is the only high-income country to not offer paid leave. A universal and comprehensive paid leave program would advance gender and racial equity, however, with pressure to lower the cost of the bill, Democrats are considering reducing the paid leave provisions from 12 weeks to 4 weeks and imposing income limitations. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the concentration of Black and Latinx workers in low-wage “essential” frontline jobs that do not include paid leave benefits. Women of color including Black women and Latinas are overrepresented in these jobs. Lack of paid […]

CURE Condemns Racist Treatment of Haitian and Black Asylum Seekers at the US-Mexico Border September 22, 2021 – The Center for Urban and Racial Equity condemns the racist and dehumanizing treatment of Haitian asylum seekers by the Biden administration. The verbal abuse and physical assault by U.S. Border Patrol officers of Black immigrants seeking refuge from political upheaval and natural disasters is consistent with a long history of xenophobic, anti-Black immigration policies toward Haitian immigrants. The Biden administration’s decision to conduct mass deportations of asylum seekers without due process based on the Trump-era use of Title 42, (and to defend its use after a judge ordered a stop to the practice last week), is a blatant failure of the administration to live up to its pledge to make immigration more humane. As such, the Biden administration betrays its wider commitment to making racial equity a core pillar of their policies and decision-making.  Under Title 42, the Biden administration is using the COVID-19 pandemic to justify these deportations and violate the human rights of asylum seekers. The policy has its roots in white nationalist efforts under the Trump administration to restrict immigration among Black and brown people at the border. “This is not the first time that public health justifications have been used to restrict immigration from the Caribbean, Latin America and African nations,” says CURE president Dr. Judy Lubin. “Haitians were wrongly singled out as carriers of HIV in the 1980s by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when little was understood about the emerging pandemic, and that profoundly shaped immigration policy for decades. As a Haitian American that grew up in the 80s and 90s seeing Haitians migrants seeking safety and a chance at a better life automatically repatriated or ushered into detention centers in Miami, this week’s events have been a heartbreaking reminder of how immigration policies are used to perpetuate white supremacy, control access to material resources for survival, and reinforce ideas of who belong and which lives matter in America.” According to RAICES, Haitian families made up 44% of the families detained at Karnes County Residential Center in 2020. This statistic is compounded by what RAICES has identified as higher rates of detention, deportation, and bond values enacted against Black immigrants, especially Haitians.  We join in solidarity with Haitian-led, immigration, civil, and human rights organizations calling on the Biden administration to: stop the deportations, revoke the Title 42 order, conduct a full investigation into the actions of U.S. Border Patrol, and hold participating actors accountable for abuses at the border. Finally, CURE demands a full assessment of how U.S. immigration policies can be re-imagined thorugh an anti-racist lens that honors the humanity and dignity of all regardless of race or country of origin. To support humanitarian efforts on the southern border, please donate to Haitian Bridge Alliance: http://haitianbridge.org. For background on the crisis on the border and actions you can take, please visit the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)’s resources page for the “Haitian & Black Immigrants U.S.-Mexico Border Crisis” Rapid Response Toolkit.