Archive for February 2023
Day 10: How Your Race Affects your Health
You may have heard about the racial wealth gap, but have you heard about the racial health gap? According to the NYTimes 1619 Project, “racial health disparities are foundational as democracy itself.” Socioeconomic status and institutional racism lead to disparities across living conditions, limit access to quality health care, and contribute to chronic stress in…
Read MoreDay 9: Housing Inequality
The reality is that housing affordability and who experiences homelessness is largely influenced by our country’s history of racism. According to the Center for American Progress 2019 article, How America’s Housing System Undermines Wealth Building in Communities of Color, “For centuries, structural racism in the U.S. housing system has contributed to stark and persistent racial…
Read MoreBethany Stutzman Named to Lead Jackson Role
JACKSON – Bethany Stutzman has been named Senior Director of Community Impact for UWSCMI. The long-time Jackson resident will also serve as site leader at UWSCMI’s Jackson office. Stutzman previously served as Director of Community Impact, overseeing United Way’s impact work in Jackson County. She joined United Way of Jackson County in 2005, where her…
Read More2023 B.E.T.A Graduation Ceremony
KALAMAZOO – The 2023 Black Entrepreneur Training Academy (BETA) Graduation Ceremony, held Feb. 8, celebrated the end of training for 14 new graduates of the Black Entrepreneur Training Program, a joint effort by Black Wall Street Kalamazoo and Sisters in Business. This effort was funded in part through the City of Kalamazoo ARPA dollars, and…
Read MoreDay 8: Segregation in Michigan
Institutional Racism is defined as “the systematic distribution of resources, power and opportunity in our society to the benefit of people who are white and the exclusion of people of color.” — Solid Ground, Definition & Analysis of Institutional Racism When you hear the word segregation, what do you think of? Many of us think…
Read MoreDay 7: Income Inequality
“In the United States, the average Black and Hispanic or Latino households earn about half as much as the average White household and own only about 15 to 20 percent as much net wealth.” – the United States Federal Reserve With income above the Federal Poverty Level but below a basic survival threshold — defined…
Read MoreDay 6: Levels of Racism
“Americans believe in the reality of ‘race’ as a defined, indubitable feature of the natural world. Racism—the need to ascribe bone-deep features to people and then humiliate, reduce, and destroy them—inevitably follows from this inalterable condition. In this way, racism is rendered as the innocent daughter of Mother Nature, and one is left to deplore…
Read MoreDay 5: Racial Socialization
“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” – Lilla Watson, Indigenous Australian or Murri visual artist, activist and academic Socialization is a process we all go through – it’s how we…
Read MoreDay 4: Talking About Race & Racism
“Oftentimes people of color are asked to educate white people on issues that the person of color has lived with and thought about for their entire lives. That can be very psychologically and emotionally exhausting for a person to then have to care about the white person’s feelings and to take those extra efforts so…
Read MoreTime For Taxes! VITA Offers Free Tax Prep
Doing tax returns isn’t usually much fun. For households that can’t afford to hire an expert, it can be a missed opportunity to get the full refund they’re owed. That’s where United Way of South Central Michigan’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program can make a vital difference. VITA provides free tax preparation to low- and…
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