CRC Newsletter | March 2021
Working to Build a More Equitable Community
A Message from the CRC Chair, Vanessa Clarke
Over the past year, our community has seen unimaginable disaster with COVID-19. It has also seen unity that has only been imagined with Black Lives Matter. Beautifully, we have come together to care for our neighbors who look different from us and we have opened our understanding of inequality and inequity to embrace that some of us have privileges that others do not. These privileges, based on race, gender, culture, and so much more, have dominated our lives, progressively and oppressively. As chair of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee (CRC), I am excited about our community collaborations that will serve to engage us in one another’s lives and empower each of us to reach our full potential so all of us can have limitless dreams with a reality that they are attainable.
Click here to watch the CRC Chair, CRC Executive Director and community members speak about the importance of CRC’s work in building a more equitable community.
ICYMI: 2021 MLK Holiday Celebration
By Kelly Spencer and Delores Reid-Smith, CRC Vice Chair
Diversity, inclusion and open dialogue are a contributing factor to any city’s progress and success. Through this knowledge, the City of Charlotte is committed to bridging cultural and racial divides. In alignment with this commitment, the City of Charlotte hosts an annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Holiday Celebration. Beginning in 1996, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee (CRC), community volunteers, and the Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Department began jointly coordinating our community’s MLK Holiday Celebration activities.
Each year, the free-of-charge, family-friendly activities are aimed at the goal of honoring Dr. King by promoting acceptance, respect and diversity within our community. Thanks to the hard work of the diverse planning committee, the events are a celebration of unity and foster side-by-side interaction between community members from all neighborhoods and socioeconomic backgrounds. These celebrations serve as a catalyst for cross-generational conversations, as well as opportunities to gain personal understanding of different viewpoints and experiences.
A special thank you to Delores Reid-Smith (chair) and Karen Gipson (vice-chair) of the 2020–2021 committee who had the overall responsibility for the planning and implementation of the celebration. The signature annual events include the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Parade, MLK Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Student Arts and Writing Contests, Growing the Dream Luncheon, and the MLK National Community-wide Celebration on the King Holiday. Due to Covid-19, the planning committee felt that the safest way to provide the community the opportunity to celebrate Dr. King was to produce a virtual platform for enjoyment. This year’s events featured the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Virtual Roundtable Discussion and MLK Memorial Wreath Laying Service along with service projects/activities. All 2021 events were made possible through the generous sponsorship of Atrium Health. WSOC-TV and the City of Charlotte’s Communications & Marketing department were instrumental in the production of the MLK virtual programs.
In addition to the celebratory events, annual awards are given out. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Medallion Award and the Keeper of the Dream Award, is given to individuals in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg community who exemplify the ideals of Dr. King.
· Medallion Award Recipient: Rev. Dr. Benjamin Boswell, Senior Pastor of Myers Park Baptist Church
· Keeper of the Dream Award Recipient: Mrs. Carlenia Ivory, Community Advocate
· Growing the Dream Award Recipients: Ms. Deborah Wollard and Ms. Tchernavai Montgomery.
Please join us in congratulating the recipients and thanking them for their continued service and dedication to Dr. King’s mission.
By Sam Smith Jr., CRC Member
As part of the United Way of Central Carolinas commitment to the community, the 21-Day Equity Challenge recently took more than 15,000 individuals from the Charlotte region on a daily journey of learning and self-discovery to develop more effective social justice habits around issues of race, power, privilege and leadership. The goal is to build new understandings and connections and begin dismantling systemic racism.
From January 18 — February 15, 2021, participants received an email with readings, videos, podcasts, and ways to take action. A discussion guide was available for groups, or individuals could have participated solo. Some of the thought-provoking topics included:
● White Privilege
● Racial Identity
● Unconscious Bias
● Racial Justice
● Racial Trauma on BIPOC
● Levels of Racism
● Income Inequality
● Redlining/Housing Inequality
● Racism and social determinants for health
● Racial Wealth Gap
● Educational Inequality
● Adverse Childhood Experiences
● LGTBQ+
● Building a Race Equity Culture
Yvette Townsend-Ingram, a member of the Community Relations Committee (CRC), educator, community activist and life-long learner, was excited to take part in their 21-Day Equity Challenge. She and a few CRC members who participated in the Challenge recently discussed their learnings and shared their own experiences surrounding race and equity. Members shared poignant, personal experiences of colorism and classism within the Black community. They were uplifted that these topics are finally being acknowledged nationally and locally. “It is not enough to be non-racist, but you must be anti-racist,” said Townsend-Ingram. She shared that as a community we are beginning to understand that one’s silence about racism is the same as complicity; there is no room for being “neutral” on race or colorblind.
The group agreed that the progression for equity is a marathon and the measurement of equality is somewhat ambiguous for each generation. There was also an expressed desire to not let the Equity Challenge be just a learning opportunity and a one-off experience. Instead, they agreed, there should be actionable steps and benchmarks toward equity for our community.
To conclude the Racial Equity 21-Day Challenge, United Way of Central Carolinas hosted a virtual Racial Equity Town Hall on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 that brought together participants and subject-matter experts to broaden understanding of issues related to racial equity and highlight shared knowledge gained from the experience.
The 21-Day Equity Challenge was created by Dr. Eddie Moore, Jr., director of the Privilege Institute in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Dr. Moore designed the Challenge to not only help people better understand the issues surrounding equity and inclusion, but also to do so in a way that would build a habit of learning by stretching it over 21 days.
United Way of Central Carolinas brought the Challenge to the Charlotte community after United Way of Washtenaw County in Ann Arbor, Michigan introduced the challenge into the United Way network.
North Carolina Task Force for Racial Justice
By Willie Ratchford, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Department Executive Director
In June of 2020, Governor Roy Cooper created the North Carolina Task Force for Racial Justice to develop policy solutions to address racial inequities in the criminal justice system. The Task Force, co-chaired by Attorney General Josh Stein and Associate Justice Anita Earls, is comprised of a diverse section of leaders across the state, including advocates, elected officials, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and law enforcement.
The Task Force was divided into four working groups:
· Law Enforcement Management
· Policing Policy and Practices
· Court-Based Interventions to End Discriminatory Criminalization
· Advancing Racial Equity in Trials and Post-Conviction
The recommendations from the NC Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice align with the work of Community Relations and in the coming weeks, the department will use these recommendations to engage the community, address racial inequities and support this initiative on a local level. Stay tuned for more information on this initiative and how you can be involved.
Organizing to Empower Communities Across Charlotte-Mecklenburg
By Justin Lyons, CRC Member
In one of my first meetings on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee (CRC), Hector Vaca’s conviction about building a multicultural city was on full display to me. In that moment, he spoke passionately in advocating for a change in direction in how the CRC engaged with the local community.
A native of New York and a long-time community organizer, Vaca has worked on tenants’ rights and immigrant justice issues in communities across the nation. “My job as a community organizer is to empower people to seek the changes themselves — not to do the work for them,” Vaca said.
His list of organizing accomplishments is long, from mobilizing Black residents in Columbia, SC, to force the city to address a decade-long flooding issue, to leading the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) to process more than 400,000 citizenship applications in Los Angeles. Two years ago, Vaca’s organizing work led Bank of America, Wells Fargo and SunTrust to end their investments in private prisons.
Shortly after moving to Charlotte in 2008, Vaca helped start ACTION NC, where he has served as the Training and Organizing Director to engage local poor and working-income communities in addressing social and economic inequality.
Vaca served on the CRC for nearly five years and recognized that he was working what he calls the “outside game” with the community for years. He reflected on his interest to join the CRC, saying “I wanted to also play the ‘inside game’ because I saw the CRC as a vehicle to advise the City Council on the needs of the community. I wanted to help the City create the mechanisms needed to give more people a voice and actually see solutions.”
During his time with CRC, he served as chair of the CRC’s Intercultural Relations Subcommittee, partnering with the City Council and other CRC members to change a rule that previously only allowed registered voters to participate on the City of Charlotte’s boards and commissions. The rule change expanded access to all residents of Mecklenburg County, including non-U.S. citizens.
Vaca also pushed to foster a culture within the CRC where other members are motivated to speak up and push city or county officials on important matters, not simply receive information. “With my outspoken nature, I think I helped people realize that you can speak up for things you care about,” Vaca said.
As Vaca moves on to new pursuits, he hopes the CRC will continue to become an increasingly intercultural body. “We have intersectional issues that we can work on together, but we can also support each other on our individual issues,” said Vaca. He sees big opportunities to continue to lift representation of community members who currently don’t have a voice in CRC discussions. Finally, Vaca hopes that the CRC can more closely study and discuss what other cities are doing to serve its residents so it can bring those best practices into the City of Charlotte’s work.
To learn more about Vaca, be sure to read a story on his life as highlighted by WSOC-TV this past November. Thank you for your contributions to the CRC and our community, Hector.
By Adrienne Martinez, CRC Member
In the Community Spotlight, the CRC recognizes organizations and people supporting our community, with missions that align with the work and mission of the CRC.
Even before the pandemic and the crises that it has exacerbated, many of Charlotte’s communities experienced food insecurity, with over 70,000 residents living in these food deserts. In order to alleviate some of the hunger, The Bulb sets up mobile markets to support these residents, providing fresh produce, bread and sometimes meat and dairy products with a donation based model — customers give what they can, and take what they need. Their mission is to provide mostly local produce, as well as education on health and wellness, to food insecure neighborhoods. It is this mission that drives the work of its staff and volunteers.
Food supplies are rescued from Trader Joe’s and also purchased from local farms using Fresh List. Markets take place Tuesday through Friday in targeted areas of Charlotte, where food insecurity is most prevalent. All food that is unclaimed or spoiled goes to compost at a site at Garinger High School. Friday markets are offered as a drive-thru market at 1100 Eastway Drive, Charlotte, NC from 10:00 am — 12:00 pm. Delivery is available on Friday’s for those that are not mobile and cannot make it to a market site; advanced sign up is required. More details about delivery and information about the markets can be found on their website and by following them on Instagram @thebulbmobilemarkets.
