Neighborhood Leadership Academy Grand Rapids & A Starter List for Learning About Racial Equity

January 23, 2018

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to co-facilitate the first workshop of the Neighborhood Leadership Academy, an 8-week initiative created in partnership with Stacy Stout: Assistant to The City Manager, Neighborhood Associations, The Division of Inclusion and Equity at GVSU, including my unit: Social Justice Education, and The Johnson Center for Philanthropy.

The main focus of the first session was racial equity and resident empowerment. Other topics include but are not limited to:

–Effective Meetings and Conflict Management

–Collaborations and Facilitative Leadership

–Narrative Change and Communication Strategies

–Fund Development and Financial Sustainability

–Volunteer Management and Succession Planning

Although the participants will learn about a variety of topics in regards to running their neighborhood association, our first session played an important role in setting the tone for the future sessions as a racial equity lens will remain present throughout. One of the key resources that cohort participants will continue to utilize in their work is the Racial Equity Toolkit; a resource from the Local and Regional Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE).

We're proud to be cohosting the first day of the Neighborhood Leadership Academy here in #GrandRapids! Shout-out to @Stacy_Stout & @Relando_TJ, our fearless facilitators! pic.twitter.com/i5tidOdT6l

— Johnson Center for Philanthropy (@johnsoncenter) January 5, 2018

At the end of the session, Stacy and I compiled a list of resources that we shared with the participants. I’m re-sharing them here.

A Starter List for Ongoing Racial Equity Learning

A Glossary for Understanding the Dismantling of Structural Racism

Grand Rapids Specific Resources

Black History Walking Tour of Downtown Grand Rapids

Strike! How the Furniture Workers Strike of 1911 Changed Grand Rapids

African Americans in The Furniture City: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Grand Rapids

A City Within A City: The Black Freedom Struggle In Grand Rapids, MI

Oppression and Workplace Culture

Five Faces of Oppression

White Supremacy Culture and Antidotes

White Supremacy Culture and Something Different

Targeted Universalism

Structural Racism

Disturbing History of the Suburbs Video

Structural Racism and Community Building

White Privilege

White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack

Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person

Multi-Topic Resources

Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society: Youtube Channel, Organizational website.

Policy Link

Local Organizations, Groups

Urban Core Collective

Partners for a Racism Free Community

Equity PAC

Greater Grand Rapids Racial Equity Network (GGRREN)

The Annual Grand Rapids Neighborhood Summit

Ubuntu,

From Aspiring Humanitarian, Relando Thompkins-Jones

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Relando Thompkins-Jones

I'm a macro social worker, social justice educator, and consultant who uses media and education to advance equity and social justice within people, organizations, and communities. I am also the Founder, Host, Editor and Producer of Social Justice Origin Stories, a storytelling project that highlights the personal stories and defining moments that have inspired individuals and organizations to labor for equity and social justice. I started Social Justice Origin Stories because I believe in the power of storytelling and making our experiences accessible to others, because I believe in the liberatory effects of social justice education, to support justice-seekers in finding community and feeling less alone given the relentlessness of oppressive systems, and hopefully to be a resource of support and reflection for those who are thinking through how they could best contribute to the work. We need all who can, to do what they can.