• In addition to systemic patterns of discrimination, individual experiences of racism are connected to a range of poor health outcomes—mostly due to chronic stress—and make it such that education and income can’t be counted on as protective factors.
• Maternal and infant mortality, depression, asthma, diabetes and obesity are among the conditions that disproportionately impact racial and ethnic minorities compared to their white counterparts. Data also shows Black patients die at higher rates from conditions like stroke and cancers compared with non-Hispanic, white patients. COVID19 has been no exception to this trend.
• Though there have been improvements over the past 60 years, disparities persist for a range of health indicators across races and ethnicities in the United States, from higher rates of chronic disease to premature death. 

Core to the Health Foundation’s mission is being a catalyst for policy and systems change that improves health, because we recognize it is policies, systems and practices that are largely responsible for ongoing racial health disparities. This year, the Foundation made various initial commitments with respect to how we operate internally and what we expect from our partners. 

We convened a Racial Justice and Equity Committee whose purpose is to provide guidance, input, accountability and recommendations to our Board of Directors on how to operationalize racial equity and inclusion, internally and externally. Some initial actions include: 

• Setting new diversity and equity indicators and accountability mechanisms to help us ensure we are being inclusive in our hiring processes, vendor procurement and throughout our operations and grantmaking. 
• Challenging our grantees and partners to assess their own hiring and board appointment policies to ensure they are conducive to diversity and inclusion.
• Providing our board and staff with education that advances the understanding of racial equity and structural racism and the role they play in creating healthier, inclusive communities. We we will host similar training sessions for our grantees and partners. 
• Engaging more deeply with Black-led community organizations and grassroots leaders who can participate in the planning and implementation of our programs and initiatives.
• Giving increased consideration to grantee applicants whose project development includes having meaningfully engaged with the community they seek to serve.  

These are just first steps. As an organization, there is much more we will be doing. Above all, most of us know that we may never fully understand what it’s like to experience the racism, injustice and inequity ailing our nation and our communities, but we are committed to taking on the struggle as our own.

Children’s Services Council of Broward County offers on-going racial equity trainings embedded within their learning platform.  Individuals can register to receive updates about in-person and online training opportunities. The training courses are open to the public, and most attendees are from local non-profits, small businesses, and other agencies serving children and families.

Cost: Most trainings are Free or $5.00 per person.

Workshop Session Topics include:

• Growing an Equitable Community for Our Children and Families (Implicit Bias)
• Understanding, Demonstrating & Evaluating Cultural Competence
• Intro to Culturally Responsive Organizations – Shared Language/Shared Tools
• Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Efforts
• Introduction to African Worldview – 2 Parts
• Building Board Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

To register: Visit https://training.cscbroward.org/ to register or email Kandyss Torrence at ktorrence@cscbroward.org for more information.

Boward County’s Dismantling Racism Initiative provides on-going virtual and in-person trainings. Agencies receiving funding from the Human Services Department and Broward County employees may attend the free trainings, and the trainings are free and open to the public.

Cost: Free

Workshop Session Topics include:

• Phase 1: Racial Equity Workshop by Racial Equity Institute

(2-day virtual interactive; 9AM to 5PM.  The commitment is for 2 days.)

Phase 1 training is designed to develop the capacity of participants to better understand racism in its institutional and structural forms. Moving away from a focus on personal bigotry and bias, this workshop presents a historical, cultural, and structural analysis of racism, participants should leave the training better equipped to work for change.

• Groundwater Approach by Racial Equity Institute (virtual) explores how institutions and systems produce unjust and inequitable outcomes and how race is a primary indicator and predictor of health, social, education, criminal justice, and other outcomes.
• For more information on upcoming programs, visit Dismantling Racism Initiative, Educational Trainings

To register: Visit https://www.broward.org/DEI/Pages/EducationalOpportunities.aspx or email DiversityEquityandInclusion@broward.org

YWCA South Florida is committed to addressing race and gender discrimination and provides a number of online and interactive anti-racism resources and trainings, such as the 21-day Community Justice Challenge.

Cost: Free

Content and Session Topics include:

• Community Justice Challenge
• Beyond 21, an initiative focused on the important conversations following the 21-day Community Justice Challenge

To register: Visit YWCA’s Racial Equity and Social Justice site: https://www.ywcasouthflorida.org/what-we-do/programs/racial-equity-and-social-justice/

Racial Equity Institute provides both virtual and in person public trainings, including the ~3 hour Groundwater Approach and 2-day Phase 1 training. Groundwater explores how institutions and systems produce inequitable outcomes by race.  The 2-day commitment to Phase 1 training is more interactive and designed to develop the capacity of participants to better understand racism in its institutional and structural forms, better equipping participants to work for change.

Learning Modules, by Racial Equity Tools and World Trust Educational Services (WTES) (Online):  This collection of modules was developed by WTES in collaboration with leading racial justice organizations. Designed to facilitate deep learning, the modules are intended to help individuals new to ideas about fairness and equity both learn and train others. Each module comes with a facilitator guide and PowerPoint Presentation. Additional materials can be found at the WTES site.

People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB): PISAB is a collective of anti-racist, multicultural community organizers and educators. Their workshops seek to undo racism by learning from history, developing leadership, maintaining accountability to communities, creating networks, undoing internalized racial oppression, and understanding the role of organizational gatekeeping as a mechanism for perpetuating racism.

Race Forward’s Racial Justice Training: These interactive trainings are for individuals hoping to better understand structural racism and advance racial equity. They help learners develop a clear understanding of key concepts, such as racial equity and structural racism and learn to talk about race constructively within their organizations and with their constituents.