Coalition Releases R.E.A.L. Equity Agenda to Assist Communities of Color
NEW YORK – FPWA, United Neighborhood Houses (UNH), and Citizens’ Committee for Children (CCC) today released R.E.A.L. Equity, an agenda for advancing race-conscious policies and programs that would lead to economic security and well-being for Black and brown New Yorkers.
The agenda’s aim is to ignite action at every level of government – city, state, and federal – and from every New Yorker. As we move forward rebuilding New York City in the wake of the pandemic and reinvigorated demands for racial equality while gearing up for the 2021 elections, it is critically important that this agenda is adopted by mayoral and city council candidates.
FPWA and UNH together represent over 200 community-based organizations and CCC advocates for New York City’s 1.7 million children and their families. Together, they fight to dismantle the structural and institutional barriers that have disproportionately kept persons of color living at or near poverty since the founding of our city.
“The R.E.A.L. Equity agenda aims to ensure that racism is ended and true and lasting equality in every pillar of our society is achieved by undertaking specific and targeted strategies”, says Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director of FPWA. “As New York City rebuilds from the devastation wrought by Covid-19, we must ensure that racial equity is a core principle of the recovery effort.”
“Together with our settlement house members, UNH is committed to serving as an ally and raising our voices to fight systemic racism in New York,” said Susan Stamler, Executive Director of United Neighborhood Houses. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen stark disparities in access to programs and services for communities of color in our city. The R.E.A.L. Equity agenda provides our next class of political leaders a pathway to a more just and equitable New York.”
“Racial inequities and injustices have led to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the lives of Black and Latinx New Yorkers,” said Jennifer March, Executive Director of Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York. “As government leaders respond to the current triple crises in public health, economic decline, and persistent race-based discrimination, the R.E.A.L Equity agenda outlines public investments and policies that must be prioritized to advance racial and economic equity and ensure that all children, families and communities recover and thrive.”
In October 2020, a series of public webinars that debated and dissected the racist programs and policies that disproportionately keep people of color living in or near poverty were hosted by CCC, UNH, and FPWA. These conversations with topical experts can be viewed online.
Source: Rachel Noerdlinger