CU*SOUTH’s Post

Such an inspiration, Jim Rudicil! Check out this video of Jim sharing more on his impact on Muskegon and the Lakeshore through United Way of the Lakeshore!

If you want to gauge the progress of a post-racial America, start talking about reparations. Yesterday, the Program for Community Engaged Scholarship orchestrated a screening of the Netflix documentary “Descendant,” accompanied by a panel of relatives of Cudjoe Lewis, notably chronicled in Zora Neale Hurston’s “Barracoon.” Lewis, among the last enslaved individuals transported aboard a slave ship to Mobile, Alabama, played a pivotal role in the establishment of Africatown. At this event, Joycelyn (pictured center), a relative among the descendants, imparted insights into the history and contemporary condition of Africatown. She highlighted the influence of the Maehers, the family who once owned the enslaved individuals and still retain land within and around Africatown, continuing to reap significant profits off of the land. The documentary further underscores not only the multifaceted pain endured by Africatown’s inhabitants—emotional, physical, mental, and historical—but also the environmental injustices stemming from the construction of highways and factories that encroach upon the community, land leased to large corporations by the Maehers. While one dialogue has occurred with the Maehers, substantive conversations regarding reparations or reconciliation have yet to materialize. Africatown serves as one of many illustrations of how, even four centuries later, individuals continue to reap benefits from policies and measures designed to impede the progress of Black communities and Black people. To foster collective progress, we must confront the injustices of our past and undertake meaningful steps toward reconciliation, thereby ensuring a more equitable and prosperous future for all. Here are some more resources to learn more About Cudjoe Lewis and Africatown: 1. barracoon:%20The%20Story%20of%20the%20Last%20%22Black%20Cargo%22%20https%3A//a.co/d/bkaapeV 2. https://lnkd.in/efd3SbQv 3. Descendant https://g.co/kgs/Fd5Wd7P

Racial Justice Centre fights to dismantle systems of racial injustice and inequality that harms marginalised communities and the environment. As a #PeopleandPlanetFirst verified enterprise, you can read more about them here: https://lnkd.in/eBMVgpDX

Great set of panelist with me in this session!

Did you know that the Pincus Family Foundation is a proponent of Trust-Based Philanthropy and has purposely structured their grant process to eliminate power dynamics that commonly exist in nonprofit partnerships? 📚 Learn more about how we're making a difference below! 👇 https://lnkd.in/dx6u-t_u #PincusFamilyFoundation #MakeADifference #Philanthropy

The Barnes & Thornburg LLP Racial and Social Justice Foundation has awarded a $50,000 grant to La Casa de San Gabriel Community Center, an organization that supports economically disadvantaged children and families in overcoming challenges such as limited education, underemployment, language barriers, inadequate housing, and lack of medical care. https://bit.ly/3DiUAML

For more examples, check out Peggy McIntosh's "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack."

At the Trust, we work for racial equity to ensure every resident has the opportunity and support they need to thrive. Our Equity Framework offers a common understanding of what we mean when we talk about equity, how we got here, and where we’re going. https://bit.ly/47v7EYN

The biggest challenge (I believe) around white privilege, is that those who have it, don't even know that they do. Then you have those who find out about it, and it makes them feel uncomfortable and they need to challenge it, becoming defensive. Some accept it. Some find it SO ITCHY that they need to look into it, and help shout it out to the world, so I challenge you to read the post below and call it out. How many of those statements ring true to you? What are you going to do about it? You don't need to take on the world, but please, at least take on yourself, how do those statements make you feel? Digest, reflect, and if they make you at all itchy, call it out, shout it out, share this post, spread the word.

Useful for unpacking what the term ‘White Privilege’ is getting at