“We refuse to be silent as decades of progress unravel. The fight for equity is a fight for us all: for fair and just access to opportunities, power and resources to thrive in our workplaces, schools, and communities,” said Dr. Judy Lubin, President of CURE. 

“This moment calls for courage and clarity,” added Dr. Lubin. “We cannot allow false narratives to dismantle structures that promote civil rights, equity and justice. We must remain steadfast in our vision of a country that works for all people, across races and genders, backgrounds and abilities.”

Equity Forward features a webinar series and a set of explainers and resources, including:

• Anti-DEI Lies and the Truths that Debunk Them: This resource tackles five of the most persistent myths about DEI, countering them with comprehensive, evidence-informed responses.
• Timeline of Major DEI-Related Laws and Movements in the U.S.: This historical timeline traces the evolution of DEI efforts from the 1940s to the present, linking legal mandates, corporate strategies, and social movements.
• Navigating the Anti-DEI Movement and Advancing Racial Equity: This issue brief explores the backlash against racial equity efforts following the 2020 racial justice uprisings and offers guidance to help organizations sustain their racial equity commitments despite legislative restrictions and political opposition.
• Understanding the Anti-DEI Movement: A Glossary of Key Terms: This glossary provides critical definitions to contextualize the backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion, exposing longstanding tactics repurposed to undermine today’s fight for equity. Readers are empowered to use these insights to decode and counter the misinformation that fuels anti-DEI narratives.

The Fight for Equity Continues

Movements for racial, gender, disability and LGBTQ rights have shaped this nation’s progress, yet a small but vocal faction is attempting to reverse our hard-won gains. They use misinformation and fear tactics to roll back programs that ensure fairness and opportunity for all. 

Equity Forward is more than a response—it’s a call to action. We invite organizations, leaders, and community members to use these tools to push back against misinformation, advocate for inclusive policies, and sustain the fight for equity, justice, inclusion and belonging.

To access Equity Forward resources, visit www.urbanandracialequity.org/equity-forward

For media inquiries and interviews, please contact:
Chantelle Wilkinson
info@urbanandracialequity.org 

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There’s no doubt that we’re living in unpredictable times: grieving humanitarian crises and facing daily pressures that threaten our ability to connect with ourselves and each other. Collective trauma has become a steady state that requires us to consistently, intentionally (and even defiantly) embody a future where we are all free and well.

Creating new systems, narratives and ways of being is healing work, yet our well-being often suffers in service to the cause. Last summer, our organization took a pause to rest and reset. As a small team tackling big issues, we’ve been thinking a lot about the sustainability and healing of Black changemakers, who are often simultaneously navigating anti-Blackness and white supremacy as they lead efforts to dismantle oppressive cultures, structures and policies in organizations and communities.

Emerging from our time of rest and reflection, it was clear that we needed to realign our work to more clearly articulate our reason for being: restoring wholeness to marginalized communities by cultivating pathways for racial equity, justice, collective healing, well-being and liberation. Over the next few months we’ll be rolling out a few new offerings. For now we’re excited to debut our new logo and website, plus a preview of our new program: Embodied Justice.

We’ve chosen to ground our vision and offerings in the promise of a “CURE”. For us, this means reparative practices and policies that enable people and communities to experience healing and wholeness. We’re also thrilled to share that CURE is now fiscally sponsored by Possibility Labs. Through an aligned partnership with Possibility Labs, we now have the infrastructure to welcome donations to aid our new program offerings and infrastructure development. For ways to support CURE and our wish list, click here.

We remain certain that we can build a better world, and we’re grateful to make that journey with you.

In partnership,
Dr. Judy Lubin, President and the CURE Team

CURE’s new logo reflects the change we hope to facilitate through our renewed focus on “racial equity work that builds, empowers and restores.” The logo features the Tabono: an ancient West African (Adinkra) symbol that represents resilience, shared purpose and the willpower to realize our collective dreams. Our stylized version of the Tabono is surrounded by abstract representations of people gathered in reciprocal relationships and toward a singular purpose: liberation through equity, justice, healing and self-determination.

And what’s a new vision without a new look? CURE’s updated website is marked by imagery that aligns with our values of collaboration, collective well-being and liberation through social and personal transformation. The dominant colors, brown and sage, were chosen to signify community, strength, and well-being. The site is an expression of who we are and we hope it helps you connect with us!

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Read the report here.

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The impending Supreme Court ruling on Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. University of North Carolina will determine the future of affirmative action on college campuses. The two cases were organized  by Edward Blum, a conservative activist on a decades-long crusade to erase the consideration of race and ethnicity in higher education. If successful, the Supreme Court will overrule its prior decisions on affirmative action, going against a nearly 50 year precedent. A decision to eliminate affirmative action by the conservative leaning Supreme Court will adversely impact diversity in higher education, hinder economic mobility and have chilling effects on racial equity, diversity and inclusion efforts in corporations and sectors such as health care that continue to experience inadequate representation of Black and Brown professionals.

Black and Latino students are more underrepresented at the nation’s top universities today than 35 years ago. Eliminating or limiting affirmative action places pressure on administrators in higher education to find alternative ways to ensure diversity in colleges that they fear will be ineffective in addressing current disparities. While Supreme Court rulings over the years have limited its application in college admissions as a measure solely to ensure diverse learning environments (and not to address past racial discrimination), affirmative action has been effective in increasing access to higher education for historically marginalized groups and has reduced racial biases and prejudices among white students who benefit from a diverse student body.

The affirmative action cases in the Supreme Court align with several dangerous new precedents that erode civil rights including the recent reversal of Roe v. Wade and the growing anti-truth movement that includes book bans, dismantling of DEI offices at colleges and universities, and policies that limit classroom discussions about systemic racism, white supremacy, intersectionality, and racial and gender equity.

Following the Court’s decision, a coalition of civil rights groups will convene on a virtual conference. The conference will be streamed live on the National Urban League’s Facebook page.

Additionally, the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) will host a virtual Roundtable of leading lawyers, scholars, activists, and thought leaders to offer a critical assessment in real time of the legal, political, and cultural landscape for racial remedies in the wake of the decision. To reserve a spot, register here.

Celebrating Pride Month

Black and Brown LGBTQ rights activists have expanded our understanding of freedom and taught us how to live authentic lives. Every Monday this month we’re highlighting activists, from leaders in the Stonewall Riots to beloved storytellers and public figures. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to check out our posts.

Organizing Spotlight

A national call to action, the Freedom to Learn campaign, has been ignited by the African American Policy Forum to collectively raise our voices against the anti-truth/anti-woke movement that threatens our democracy and antiracist efforts in schools, campuses and workplaces. With major actions including rallies in NYC and DC in May, new opportunities this month to join ongoing mobilizations include:

• In honor of Juneteenth, the Transformative Justice Coalition and others offer a week-long Juneteenth “Stay Woke Rolling Protest” in Florida. Register here.
• A Freedom to Learn Homeroom session will take place June 29th at 7:30pm ET. Register here.
• People for the American Way will host the Grandparents For Truth Event on June 30 in Philadelphia at the corner of Market Street & N. The event is a rallying call to defend the freedom to learn and fight back against authoritarianism and censorship. Join partners at 9am ET for the activities.
• From July 30 – August 3 AAPF offers Critical Race Theory (CRT) Summer School 2023 Presents: Defending the Freedom to Learn.

Follow the Freedom to Learn Network here.

Reading Lists: What We’re Reading?

Los Angeles Times | Opinion: Affirmative action isn’t hurting Asian Americans. Here’s why that myth survives
WNYC Studios | What if the Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action?
VOA News | How North Carolina Students View the Lawsuit Threatening Affirmative Action
Forbes | Ending Affirmative Action Would Be A Terrible Mistake
The New York Times | Affirmative Action Was Banned at Two Top Universities. They Say They Need It
The New York Times| Diversity vs. Fairness

In Case You Missed It: Deepening Our Understanding of the Power of Rest

We joined the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) on IG Live for a discussion on the power of rest. Following the release of CBCF’s report entitled The Power of Rest: Examining the Racial Disparities of Sleep & its Connections to Black Health Outcomes, the discussion explored the critical role sleep plays in our everyday lives and the need to highlight its impact on racial equity.

“For Black people, a third of health related deaths are from illnesses related to and directly impacted by poor sleep. Diabetes, stroke, heart disease, cancer comprise a large proportion of health-related deaths in Black communities and we are not addressing one of the key factors to these health conditions which is rest and sleep.”

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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

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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 

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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/.

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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. 

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