CFNEIA Continues Commitment to Racial Equity
May 28, 2021
Racism and inequity are far from new to our communities. Generation after generation of Blacks, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) have endured racism intentionally built into the systems meant to guide and protect communities. Systemic racism is not just an urban issue but a regional concern, especially as our state continues to become more diverse. Creating equitable communities may be the biggest challenge of our lifetime, and one that can only be met together.
In June, the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa reinforced its commitment to racial equity, like so many others, releasing a statement following the murder of George Floyd. Since then, we have been working to live up to our words. We are reaching out and listening to community leaders and nonprofit agencies to learn how we can extend our efforts around our value of inclusion and place a racial equity lens over the entirety of our work.
Fulfilling this commitment will be difficult. We must not only look at how we can be an ally to the BIPOC community, but we must do the difficult work of looking at where we have been part of the problem and take action to change that. We know we will not always get it right, but we must be transparent even when it isn’t easy.
We know a commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization is a commitment to action. We invite all our partners to join us on this learning journey.
This information is part of our 2020 Impact Report.
