Every person, family, and community is more likely to achieve their full potential when they have a strong foundation that enables them to weather life’s challenges and thrive, no matter their current situation, socioeconomic status, or geographic location. These building blocks are essential for creating and sustaining the well-being of every family and community:

Building the Essentials of Financial Well-Being

Because so many of these building blocks are tied to financial well-being and opportunity, Social Current has collaborated with the Washington University Brown School’s Center for Social Development (CSD) and its partners to publish new research in Social Current’s peer-reviewed journal, Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. In recognition of Black History Month, the issue is freely accessible without a subscription through February 2022.

The special issue, Building Financial Capability and Assets in America’s Families, was guest edited by Jin Huang, Margaret Sherraden, Jenny Jones, and Christine Callahan. Articles were developed from presentations made at a national conference hosted at CSD and the Financial Social Work Initiative at the University of Maryland School of Social Work.

“We began this project to develop a better understanding of how financial well-being has become elusive for families,” explained Margaret Sherraden, a research professor in the Brown School at Washington University and a faculty lead of CSD’s Financial Capability and Asset Building (FCAB) initiative.

Many families and communities, especially communities of color, face hurdles that they alone did not create or control that obstruct their ability to flourish. “Counteracting multigenerational disparities and trauma resulting from systemic racism and oppression requires intentional interventions aimed at addressing root causes. Otherwise, those conditions may be insurmountable and will impede social change and justice that can benefit all Americans,” according to Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current.

Helping Families Overcome Barriers

For families in crisis, guidance from community-based organizations and social services professionals can be critically important. “Financial and economic issues underlie many of the problems that bring families to social services,” the editors write in the issue introduction. “Intake interviews … often reveal insufficient income and assets, overwhelming debt, lack of emergency savings, limited access to public benefits and social assistance, challenges obtaining a bank account or credit, and worries about their future financial well-being.”

Jin Huang, professor of social work at Saint Louis University and a faculty lead of CSD’s FCAB initiative, noted takeaways: “This collection shows that families who bring financial struggles to social workers can find guidance on operating in an increasingly financialized society and on improving financial security. It also shows that those outcomes – financial capability and financial security – require a broader framework of supportive programming and sound policies.”

Building Financial Knowledge in Social Services

As dean of the Whitney Young Jr. School of Social Work at Clark Atlanta University, Jenny Jones brought to the project her insights from training students for financial capability practice. “I began incorporating financial content into social work classes to introduce students to issues related to families that are referred to social service agencies for various services,” Jones said. “Students embraced the skills when they saw how pivotal these issues are in the lives of their clients.”

Christine Callahan, research associate professor with the University of Maryland’s Financial Social Work Initiative, also came to the project through her efforts to develop social workers’ capacity for guiding clients in their financial struggles. “Social workers recognize that a better understanding of financial matters and addressing financial distress to a greater degree would enhance their work with individuals, couples, and families who often are dealing with complex, intertwined psychosocial and financial problems and stressors.”

Advancing Equity and Economic Freedom

It’s clear that all people need to be supported by families, who in turn fuel vibrant communities and economies. “Families and communities today are experiencing both acute and persistent needs that are varied and interconnected. That’s why it’s so critical that solutions focused on building well-being are evidence-informed, diverse, and cross-cutting through the lens of advancing equity,” notes Undraye Howard, senior director and special advisor to the CEO on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement at Social Current.

More practice and policy innovations, training and education, and research are necessary to ensure that all families—and particularly families of color with added burdens resulting from America’s long history of systemic racism and a culture of white supremacy—have the “opportunity to generate new collective narratives of genuine economic freedom where they can realize their hopes and capabilities” as envisioned in the essay by Devin Fergus and Trina Shanks.

Special Issue Articles

Articles in this issue can be accessed through Black History Month 2022 without a subscription.

Guest Editors

Christine Callahan

Jenny L. Jones

Jin Huang

Margaret Sherraden

A new white paper has been released by the Vaccine Equity Cooperative, whose members include Social Current, Partners In Health, National Association of Community Health Workers, and Health Leads. It provides recommendations based on lessons learned from the collaborating organizations’ shared experiences at the local, state, and federal levels in responding to COVID-19 and in addressing health disparities in communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated underlying inequities in the U.S. health care system, disproportionately affecting communities of color. Those inequities make it clear that the U.S. needs systemic investment in public and community health systems—focused on serving the most marginalized individuals and communities.

The newly released white paper provides a roadmap by focusing on four key pillars of health equity that reflect the challenges faced by implementers during the COVID-19 response:

By ensuring our approaches include improved access to care, strong data systems, a shift in decision-making power, and access to resources, communities in the U.S. will be able to build a more equitable health care system.

Download the white paper online.

About the Vaccine Equity Cooperative

In fall 2020, Health Leads, NACHW, Partners In Health, and Social Current, came together to form the Vaccine Equity Cooperative to share trusted resources, expand funding, and strengthen policy in support of community-based and public health workforces. This initiative, a collaborative approach to addressing structural barriers and building vaccine confidence, aims to further support the rebuilding of public trust necessary to address long-term disparities and prepare for future crises.

Learn more about the Vaccine Equity Cooperative and how to get involved online.

Social Current Resources on Health Equity

Here are some ways to join our work on equity, diversity, and inclusion today:

Social Current recently published Building Financial Capability and Assets in America’s Families, a special issue of its venerable social work research journal, Families in Society, and will be free to view for the month of February. The issue explores the history and current developments in financial capability and asset building for families, and the authors originally presented these papers at a national conference, Financial Capability and Asset Building: Achievements, Challenges, and Next Steps.

The contributions examine various ways practitioners and other professionals who work in community-based organizations can increase families’ financial abilities, as well as approaches to expanding financial and economic opportunities. It also explores policies and programs that increase family assets so that they can respond to emergencies, offset debt, and build a more hopeful future. Find links to the special issue under Latest Articles.

A historian, Devin Fergus, and a social work scholar, Trina William Shanks, set the stage for this special issue. They discuss the historical roots of financial exclusion and wealth inequality and make the case that it is imperative to understand our history of racial capitalism that has kept tangible economic progress out of reach for Black families. They call for human services professionals to address the resulting collective historical memories and family stress, and to organize for a “successful and final Reconstruction” that generates “genuine economic freedom” where Black families can realize their hopes and capabilities. The following is an excerpt from their article, “The Long Afterlife of Slavery in Asset Stripping, Historical Memory, and Family Burden: Toward a Third Reconstruction.”

Watch the opening plenary by Devin Fergus and Trina Shanks for the “Financial Capability and Asset Building: Achievements, Challenges, and Next Steps” conference.

The Next Reconstruction

For African Americans in particular, the question of financial capability and asset building is as old as Black freedom. With the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865, slavery officially ended in the United States, and the 4 million formerly enslaved persons had to find a way to survive under changing social and economic conditions. As they formed families and strived to make a living, Reconstruction Era policies were supposed to help with this transition. There were many false starts where expectations were raised, but then hopes were subsequently dashed when reality produced outcomes that kept tangible economic progress just out of reach.

Today, unlike a century ago, asset-building seems less about racial exclusion than the higher costs of financial inclusion for Blacks and other historically disfranchised groups—as racialized credit rationing has made its return to the American mortgage market. Though, in other ways, the high costs of financial inclusion may just represent the most recent form of wealth extraction—one with echoes of white-collar criminality transferring financial resources from communities of color with a history as old as Black freedom itself. This is the current world in which we now occupy. The afterlife of slavery continues to be fraught with inequality for Black Americans.

Racial Capitalism and Historical Inequities

There is a long history of what scholars of racial capitalism have dubbed the “disappointments with freedom” since slavery (Leroy, 2021). The gaps between the promises of the Freedman’s Bank, Homestead Act (or final legislative backing of “40 acres and a mule”), GI Bill, Fair Housing Act, and the racial realities that came afterward has certainly contributed to Black America’s resentment toward government and distrust of banks. The experience of broken promises and institutionalized racism repeated over time and across generations has resulted in unnecessary family stress and collective narratives that might lead Black Americans to reject certain financial practices or investments.

The larger macro-economic cycles described in racial capitalism along with specific historical events can shape shared narratives where residential segregation and structural racism are perceived as “just the way things are.” Furthermore, as Black families face the financial strain of struggling to survive with low income and low wealth in under-resourced communities, their children may also struggle to attain economic mobility. Thus, historical inequities are sustained in current generations. Of course, it is possible for narratives to change and for people to find support or opportunity in places where it didn’t exist in the past.

A Third Reconstruction of Black Economic Freedom

But if the First Reconstruction (ca. 1865–1877) and the Second Reconstruction (ca. 1954–1968) largely drew upon federal activism, often pressured from below, what might a Third Reconstruction entail? Perhaps the rise of Black Lives Matter and calls for reparations could bring the country closer to realizing the Black freedom that fell short in earlier eras. This new moment would necessarily include similar legislative actions, court rulings, and policy choices emanating from these previous eras of reconstruction. A new reconstruction is imperative to fulfill the promise of Black economic freedom that has never been widely attained. This third reconstruction would build upon the previous two iterations foregrounding voting, civil rights, and financial enforcement. However, the real test is whether economic security increases for the majority of Black households. Surface level changes that reproduce racial disparities are no longer acceptable.

A successful and final reconstruction would mean Black families face less economic stress (and certainly no more than anyone else) and comprise communities that have had the opportunity to generate new collective narratives of genuine economic freedom where they can realize their hopes and capabilities. There are implications for practice that could help herald such a Third Reconstruction. Community-based organizations can organize to help people learn lessons from the past and build Black power. The Grand Challenges for Social Work are one potential example for this type of collective action as they support efforts to eliminate racism, reduce extreme economic inequality, and build financial capability and assets for all.

Community-based practitioners can also point out racial inequities in current policies and practices as well as fight for more robust and inclusive policies. At the individual level, practitioners can be trained in financial counseling or coaching and work to ensure these services are relevant for Blacks and other populations that aren’t being well served by current financial systems. To be most effective, practitioners would have to address the collective memories and residue of financial strain that stresses family ties to encourage these underserved populations to trust a financial system that has betrayed them for generations.

About the Authors

Devin Fergus

Arvarh E. Strickland Distinguished Professor of History and Black Studies
College of Arts and Science
University of Missouri

Trina R. Shanks

Director of the Center for Equitable Family and Community Well-Being
Harold R. Johnson Collegiate Professor of Social Work
University of Michigan School of Social Work

Take Action

Social Current recognizes Black History Month as a time to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements, accomplishments, and contributions from the many African Americans today and in the past. Our history has been enriched by these heroes, who have given so much and, in some cases, sacrificed their lives, for the same reasons that we commit to advancing justice, equity, and freedom. We also want to acknowledge the injustices and racism in this present time. As leaders, we will stay committed to the efforts that will eventually result in an equitable society for all people. This month, and every day, it is important to recognize the many contributions that have led to what we define as freedom.

—Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO, Social Current

A Focus on Health and Wellness

The theme for Black History Month 2022 is centered on the importance of Black Health and Wellness. Part of this focus acknowledges the legacy of Black scholars and medical practitioners in Western medicine, as well as other ways of knowing (e.g., birthworkers, doulas, midwives, naturopaths, herbalists, etc.) throughout the African Diaspora. This year’s theme also stresses the continuing impact of disparities in the social determinants of health for BIPOC individuals and their communities.

In the still overhanging shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, Black people should and do use data and other information-sharing modalities to document, decry, and agitate against the interconnected, intersecting inequalities intentionally baked into systems and structures in the U.S. for no other reason than to curtail, circumscribe, and destroy Black well-being in all forms and Black lives. Moreover, Black communities must look to the past to provide the light for our future, by embracing the rituals, traditions and healing modalities of our ancestors. These ways of knowing require a decolonization of thought and practice.

Association for the Study of African American Life and History

As part of Social Current’s commitment to a healthy and equitable society, we and our partners in the social sector work to bridge historical barriers and persistent challenges with contemporary solutions and best practices to end racism, inequity, and poverty. This commitment recognizes BIPOC families as the experts in what is important to realizing their full potential, as well as the importance of cross-sector approaches to advancing equity, partnering with purpose, and building on successes in improving the social determinants of health.

Pathways for Change

Social Current collaborates with the Morehouse School of Medicine and other social sector organizations in mobilizing community-based organizations through the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN). This initiative is focused on mitigating the negative impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities that are disproportionately impacted through disseminating culturally and linguistically relevant resources to the hardest hit communities.

We are also collaborating with Unite Us, the nation’s leading technology company connecting health and social care services, to advance health equity and improve health and social outcomes through innovation and technology. This relationship will enable Social Current and Unite Us to work together to make positive change in communities across the country.

The foundation of these partnerships and other health equity initiatives is the shared understanding that families caught in entrenched poverty caused by institutional racism can benefit from multigenerational approaches to family and community success, along with collective action to gain access to the resources and supports necessary for well-being. These evidence-based approaches are evident in:

Building on Strengths: Learning and Engagement Opportunities

Raising up Black children, mothers, fathers, and their family members advances society as a whole. Throughout the month, Social Current will highlight Black voices and stories, focus on strengths-based and collaborative socioeconomic mobility solutions, share emerging research and best practices, and extend opportunities for learning and action.

Here are some ways to join our work on equity, diversity, and inclusion today:

  1. Participate in workshops, learning collaboratives, and consulting services
  2. Connect with peers and industry experts with SPARK Exchanges (formerly APEX Groups) (Sign up now for the Feb. 8 orientation webinar)
  3. Enroll in courses focused on building community health and well-being
  4. Subscribe to policy and advocacy updates
  5. Sign up for the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network’s pandemic response updates
  6. Browse the Knowledge and Insights Center (formerly Alliance Library) for Black health and wellness research and resources (Social Current network exclusive) – each week will feature a specific topic:
    • Week 1: Highlighting the innovation and progress of Black scholars, medical practitioners, birthworkers, doulas, midwives, and others
    • Week 2: Initiatives to help decrease health disparities
    • Week 3: Preventive care and focus on body positivity, physical exercise, nutrition, etc.
    • Week 4: Emotional and mental health advances in research and best practices

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Social Current, formerly the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the Council on Accreditation, has announced its 2022 slate of workshops, learning collaboratives, and one-on-one consulting services available for individuals and organizations seeking to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in support of a more equitable society for all. The goal of these programs is to support leaders across a range of sectors in their EDI journeys and to help organizations better understand their role and effectiveness in grounding equity in their work and the systems they represent.

“In the wake of a global pandemic and national racial reckoning, Social Current is working to support organizations wishing to address systemic racial disparities through a collective impact approach, one that reflects the understanding that large-scale social change requires nonprofits, governments, businesses, and the public to collaborate and come together around a common agenda to center equity in all we do,” noted Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current. “These programs offer the resources, research, and training that can help build an inclusive workforce that enables all people to reach their full potential and furthers the goal of promoting the long-term sustainable change needed to advance an equitable society for all”

“Simply mandating or promoting equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the workplace is not enough,” notes Undraye Howard, senior director of equity, diversity, inclusion and engagement for Social Current. “To realize the benefits, organizations must treat EDI as any other critical resource and commit to building the right infrastructure to support it. Advancing equity is a journey, both for people and for organizations. Equity must be embedded as part of an organization’s culture if it is to be sustainable.”

Social Current Offerings

Today Social Current recognizes and honors the birth, life, and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King’s passion and relentless work for justice, equity, and improved lives for everyone continues to be a clarion call for each of us today. Today, we take the time to remember Dr. King’s enduring fight for justice. We also challenge ourselves as leaders to renew the spirit and intentionally lean into our equity journeys in ways that honor the legacy of Dr. King. Today is a time to remember Dr. King’s fight for the freedom, equity, and dignity of all races and peoples through nonviolent means and measures.

Although we have come a long way in making King’s dream a reality, we still have much work to do to create a truly equitable and inclusive society for all. Social Current is committed to work that will realize our shared dream—an equitable society where all people can thrive.

—Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO, Social Current

The Fierce Urgency of Now

On April 4, 1967—exactly one year before he was assassinated—Martin Luther King Jr. gave what many contemporaries considered his most controversial speech at Riverside Church (“Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” audio recording | written transcript), which largely focused on the need to accelerate social justice in the U.S., rather than accept the hypocrisy of a foreign affairs strategy meant to advance freedom and justice overseas:

“We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. … This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”

This urgency—and procrastination—continues. African American and other historically marginalized communities have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic upheaval. The mass racial unrest and social uprisings in 2020 were in response to the ongoing systemic racism evident in police brutality, the justice system, and health inequities, yet little has changed since then. Black communities are doing their best to protect children and adults against these adversities, but self-determinism is not enough. Action must also be made by those who benefit from a culture of white supremacy.

“The importance that we all must support each other along the equity, diversity, and inclusion journey is critical regardless of race. Still, the need to recognize the historical trauma, direct marginalization, and dismissal of BIPOC individuals and communities over the centuries cries out for meaningful and authentic action on the part of our white brothers and sisters,” shared Undraye Howard, senior director and special advisor to the CEO for equity, diversity, inclusion and engagement at Social Current.

Dr. King’s Vision in Our Present

As you reflect on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birth, we encourage you to learn more about his legacy and its continued relevance today, to seek out celebrations of his life, and to participate in positive social action to fulfil his vision of a just and free society.

The Moral Universe: Evaluating Progress Across the Arc of MLK’s Dream to America’s Reality Today
(Common Dreams, Milwaukee Independent, April 6, 2021 | CC BY-SA 3.0)

April 4 [2021] marked the 53d anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination. Over half a century. Has America come any closer to his dream?

Given that January is National Poverty Awareness month, it is important to note the emphasis that Dr. King placed on economic justice. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only illuminated and exacerbated health inequities but economic ones as well. When the economy shut down, Black and Latinx populations were the most likely to be front-line workers, the least likely to be able to work from home, and they suffered the largest loss of jobs.

“The level of economic violence suffered daily by poor and low-income families is immoral and unnecessary. Millions of Americans still lack the basic right to adequate health care. Dr. King’s legacy has helped to inspire a new Poor People’s Campaign, giving voice to the 140 million low income and impoverished Americans who struggle to survive,” says this article that evaluates our progress toward Dr. King’s dream.

The King Philosophy
(NONVIOLENCE365®, The King Center)
The King Center recommends embracing the six principles of nonviolent social change:

  1. Information Gathering
  2. Education
  3. Personal Commitment
  4. Negotiation
  5. Direct Action
  6. Reconciliation

Learn more by visiting The King Center website.

Workshops, EDI Collaborative, and One-on-One Support from Social Current

Social Current offers a continuum of opportunities to support organizations in their unique equity journeys.

For organizations getting started with EDI, Social Current is offering four sessions of its popular workshop, Advancing EDI for a More Perfect Union in 2022. This workshop lays the groundwork for participants to understand their personal relationships with EDI and organizations’ maturity, the historical context of racism, and how to build organizational EDI action plans. Organizations are encouraged to enroll multiple staff for a collaborative approach. Register now for workshop sessions in March, June, September, and November.

If your organization is seeking a more intensive experience and values connecting with other leaders and organization engaged in the same work, Social Current is offering a 15-month EDI learning collaborative from April to June 2022.

For organizations seeking customized or one-on-one support, Social Current offers a variety of tailored EDI consulting services. Contact us to learn more about how Social Current consulting can support your organization.

Social Current is offering a learning collaborative on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), starting in September. This 15-month learning collaborative is an opportunity for organizations to build momentum toward achieving their organizational equity goals in a supportive environment with support and guidance from experts and fellow social sector professionals. The application process is now open for organizations to participate—the deadline to apply is June 30.

The learning collaborative will engage two staff from each participating organization, ideally a senior leader and a BIPOC emerging leader in assessing their individual and organizational competency in EDI and developing and implementing their plans for advancing equity. Through Social Current’s learning collaborative approach, participants will receive focused learning from national experts, review real-life case studies, engage in cohort learning forums, and receive team coaching and support.

Participants will benefit from the collaborative model by learning alongside other leaders from around the country who are engaged in the same work. Through bimonthly virtual meetings and an online collaboration portal, participants will be able share ideas and strategies, deepen their insights, and build their professional networks of colleagues who share your goals.

Learning Collaborative Features

More Information and How to Apply

Apply by submitting the online application by June 30.

Apply Online

Contact Undraye Howard, senior director and special advisor to the CEO for equity, diversity, inclusion and engagement, with questions or for more information.

Timeline

May 4 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET: Optional Informational Webinar
May 12 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET: Optional Informational Webinar
June 30: Applications Due
June 27-July 11: Applicants will be contacted to schedule interviews
July 6 and July 12: Interviews to be conducted
July 29: Selected organizations will be notified
Sept. 15: Opening Retreat (Post-conference at SPARK 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland)

Pricing

Seeking One-on-One Support?

For organizations seeking customized or one-on-one support, Social Current offers a variety of tailored EDI consulting services. Contact us to learn more about how Social Current consulting can support your organization.

Getting Started with EDI?

Social Current is offering four sessions of its popular workshop, Advancing EDI for a More Perfect Union in 2022. This workshop lays the groundwork for participants to understand their personal relationships with EDI and organizations’ maturity, the historical context of racism, and how to build organizational EDI action plans. Organizations are encouraged to enroll multiple staff for a collaborative approach. Register now for workshop sessions in June, September, and November.

The Social Current Knowledge and Insights Center, our comprehensive online resource library, is currently running trials around two equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) related databases, and our library team is looking for your feedback. Once you enter the databases we want to know, is the content you’re finding in each database useful? What do you like/dislike about the content interface? Did you find what you were looking for? What’s missing?

Reach out to the library team with your thoughts on the two databases by Jan. 31.

About the Databases

The first database is the Ethnic Diversity Source and covers the culture, traditions, social treatment, and lived experiences of different ethnic groups in America. It provides full texts from a growing list of sources including peer-reviewed journals, magazines, e-books, biographies, and primary source documents. Recent titles include:

  • Immigrant Generation, Race, and Socioeconomic Outcomes of Mothers in Urban Cities: Who Fares Better?
  • Eroding White Supremacy: A Curricular and Humanist Approach to Bridging the Racial Reality Gap
  • “Leaving the World Better Than We Saw It:” Imperatives for General and Special Educators

The second database is the eBook Subscription Diversity & Ethnic Studies (EBSCOhost), an e-book collection that includes thousands of high-quality e-books assessed by librarians on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Example titles include:

  • Eliminating Race-Based Mental Health Disparities: Promoting Equity and Culturally Responsive Care Across Settings
  • Black Fatigue: How Racism Erodes the Mind, Body, and Spirit
  • Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health

Accessing the Databases

Access Databases

Staff from organizations that have enrolled in Social Current’s engagement packages should log into the Knowledge and Insights Center using their learning community account. Need help creating or accessing an existing account? Contact the learning community team.

Once logged in, you will be taken to the Social Current Library landing page and should follow the instructions below:

  • Click “Access the Library”
  • Scroll down and click “Choose Databases” above the search bar
  • Choose “Ethnic Diversity Source” and “eBook Subscription Diversity & Ethnic Studies (EBSCOhost)” only
  • Enter any search word (For example: Equity)
  • Hit “Search” and begin exploring

Note: The Knowledge and Insights Center is only available to staff enrolled in Social Current’s Engagement Packages. To learn more about our engagement packages, join us on Jan. 21 for our informational webinar.

People of color and those living in poverty face significant, long-standing barriers to accessing quality primary and mental health care. Among the most common barriers are the high cost of care, lack of adequate insurance coverage, and lack of quality and/or culturally competent care. These challenges directly lead to racial disparities in health and well-being outcomes and are compounded over generations, often blocking the pathway to economic mobility.

With racial equity, diversity, and inclusion as the guidepost, the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities/Council on Accreditation (Alliance/COA) is committed to pursuing sustainable systems change so that all people can realize their full potential through social and economic mobility (SEM). Realizing more equitable systems requires connecting and driving efforts to improve SEM, change policies, and empower families and children. Community leaders are swiftly mobilizing in adaptive ways to support their communities. Their responses have elevated opportunities for improving:

Community Assets

Community-based organizations that have established themselves as trusted, safe places for connections and resources are tremendous assets to their communities. They are often staffed and led by people who live in the community, allowing them to build deep relationships and align their mission with the community’s goals.

Asset-based community development asserts that neighbors can work together to build upon their strengths to improve their communities. Mutual aid efforts taking place all over the country and around the world are allowing people who are struggling to be active in creating solutions for themselves and their neighbors. The act of working together to build community assets and develop resources contributes to community strength in small and large ways, including building the cohesion and trust that are the foundations of collective efficacy. A unified community further yields increased political influence, representation, and accountability.

Racial Equity

As institutions, lawmakers, and organizations draft the changes that lead our society, there is an opportunity to embed racial equity into programs and policies to generate meaningful, systemic solutions that address institutional racism. Increased diversity and representation in different institutions, such as schools and hospitals, yield more effective programs, improved outcomes, and impact. 

Organizations must look internally and build talent pipelines that position people of color in leadership roles. Building a talent pipeline for people of color means addressing the systemic racial wealth and employment gaps. As the Alliance/COA continues its equity journey, we will identify programs and strategies that advance social and economic mobility and address racial health disparities through a racial equity lens.

Flexible Infrastructure

Funding, data, and technology are elements of foundational infrastructure necessary for community-based organizations working with communities to realize opportunities for social and economic mobility. The pandemic has heightened their importance. Flexible funding and adequate technology have become of paramount importance for both organizations and families adapting to the new reality. Many community-based organizations are creatively and innovatively adapting to challenges caused by the pandemic and educating their philanthropic partners.

Funding

Many community-based organizations are in a perilous financial position, facing challenges that plague the social sector at large. This contractual challenge reduces organizations’ ability to create flexible solutions because unrestricted funds must be used to plug program budget gaps.

Related to this, very few federal funding opportunities reflect the interconnected nature of SEM; many have narrow eligibility requirements and limited program and service options. Organizations are adept at braiding resources from multiple funding sources to create the flexible, multisystem supports that empower families. However, these structural challenges put a significant burden on the organization, with the result that many needs go unmet.

Data

Donors often fund community-based organizations based on data on outputs. While it accounts for activity, it eclipses the nuanced story of community needs and agency and the ultimate goal of impact. Disaggregated data and human-centered design illuminate disparities and illustrate the need to fund and pilot equitable solutions. They also

Technology

Technology is vital for connectivity and SEM, especially with the need for social distancing. Students and families often need internet access and several computers for school and remote work. While many community-based organizations are now offering virtual telehealth services, the community can only utilize them if they have the appropriate technology. Many organizations have worked with businesses and philanthropy to provide laptops, tablets, and Wi-Fi where needed.

In some cases, technology may be an emerging opportunity for client connection and community service provision. A virtual opportunity may open more doors for some, where barriers such as health or work prohibited them from in-person attendance.

Mental Health Awareness

Many communities endure great uncertainty in daily life. That uncertainty puts an extra toll on staff and providers’ work. Mental health support is a foundation for all the pathways to social and economic mobility, both for the community and for the staff members who work with them. When considering ways to sustain the energy behind the human service sector and our network, stakeholders emphasized providers’ and leaders’ opportunities to connect and share relief and encouragement. 

The Alliance/COA is committed to providing space for the network to share their struggles and build off one another’s strengths. The sector must capitalize on the expanding awareness of systemic inequities – including racial health disparities – lead efforts to learn from our communities, and build sustainable pathways to SEM.

The holiday is both a celebration of Black culture and an opportunity to take specific actions to advance equity.

Juneteenth (sometimes known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, or Emancipation Day) is a celebration of Black culture and freedom that has carried great significance since it was first proclaimed a holiday in 1865. The June 19 date commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S.

As our country wrestles with its deep history of racism, the holiday is gaining more traction and meaning. In the wake of the conviction of Derek Chauvin for George Floyd’s murder and other police-involved killings of Black people, our country is reckoning with systemic and institutional racism and the lasting effects of white supremacy. 

“Systemic racism and implicit bias are infused across too many of our systems,” says Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of Social Current. “While we recognize the work that has taken place thus far to increase equity and opportunity, we must continue to build on it, and acknowledge that the road ahead of us is long, and that we must work toward change at the individual, organizational, community, and system levels.”

Juneteenth provides the opportunity to reflect and engage in several ways:

“There is much work to be done, but community-based organizations, because of their deep legacies and connectedness with their neighbors have a great opportunity to amplify the observance and recognition of Black culture and its contribution to the building of America,” says Undraye Howard, senior director of equity, diversity, and inclusion and engagement. “Nonprofits, public agencies, and businesses working to help all families thrive must look to move the needle on the adoption of equitable practices and policies on a systemic level.”

The History of Juneteenth

President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation Sept. 22, 1862, and it became official Jan. 1, 1863. However, it took two-and-a-half years for Union soldiers, led by Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, to arrive in Galveston, Texas, with news that enslaved people had been freed. Historians are still examining that period in history and have identified a few possible reasons, all grounded in racism, that allowed slavery to continue past its official end.

Gen. Granger read the following proclamation, General Order Number 3, to the people in Texas:

“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”

This declaration of freedom was significant, even if the realities for formerly enslaved people were still brutal and uncertain. A wave of migration began, to reunify families torn apart and to relocate to the industrialized North. 

According to the National Registry of Juneteenth Organizations & Supporters, Juneteenth first became a major celebration and gathering of families in Texas, with many formerly enslaved people journeying back to Galveston in the decades following the proclamation. The color red became associated with Juneteenth, to represent the resilience of formerly enslaved people. Juneteenth celebrations were often held on church property; they were often banned from taking place in public areas controlled by white people.

Juneteenth Today

Today, Juneteenth is recognized and commemorated in communities across the country. It is an opportunity for organizations across the social sector to educate, advocate, and celebrate. Here are some ideas for marking Juneteenth at your organization, based on recommendations from the National Registry of Juneteenth Organizations & Supporters:

Examples from Organizations 

What Happens Beyond Juneteenth?

The goal of Juneteenth is to commemorate the historical emancipation of enslaved people, but also to advance equity for Black Americans, who still do not experience true freedom as they encounter barriers to safety, health, and well-being. Opportunities abound for making equity a year-round commitment for your organization.

This article was originally published June 3, 2021. Updated June 11, 2023.