Racism and discrimination have no place in our society, and Metro United Way joins others in calling for justice for reforms that will help prevent tragedies like Breonna Taylor’s from happening again. We envision Greater Louisville as a place where everyone has the opportunity to thrive, and we can only achieve this vision if we all, together, strive towards equity and denounce racism and violence.
We are hoping to channel our justifiable anger into peaceful, sustained, and effective action. On this page, you’ll find resources to help you learn about systemic racism and other ways to help bring about real change. We will be updating this content frequently.
Metro United Way’s diversity, equity, and inclusion statement, programs, trainings, and more including Black Male Achievement, Racial Wealth Gap Simulations, and our Diversity Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series.
Metro United Way Racial Equity FAQs
Changing the Narrative for Boys & Men of Color
2019 State of Metropolitan Housing Report in Louisville
Health Impact Assessment of Expungement Policy in Kentucky
Equal Justice Initiative—Tragic Death of George Floyd Reveals Continuing Problem of Police Violence
Center for Policing Equity—The Science of Justice: Race, Justice, and Police Use of Force
The National Museum of African American History and Culture—Talking About Race
Dear White People: Here Are 10 Actions You Can Take To Promote Racial Justice In The Workplace – forbes.com
Prosperity Now – Racial Wealth Equity
More books to read:
- Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners: books for children and young adults
- 31 Children’s books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
- The Brown Bookshelf
- White Like Me by Tim Wise
- Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson
Resources for Families:
- PBS—Let’s Talk: How to Talk to Kids about Race, How to Help Kids Navigate Difficult Times, 5 Engaging Questions to Discover Your Child’s Thinking, Daniel Tiger’s Life’s Little Lessons, Alike & Different; Sesame Street’s Resources for staying healthy and building resilience, and Worry and Anxiety
- PBS’s Teaching Your Child About Black History Month
- NPR—Talking Race with Young Children
- CNN—How to talk to your children about protests and racism
- Raising Equity
- Common Sense Media—Books with Characters of Color, Black History Movies that Tackle Racism, and Movies that Inspire Kids to Change the World
- Learning to Give’s Justice-Related Service-Learning Toolkit for different grade-levels
- An online portal to help families, individuals, and communities talk about racism and commit to being anti-racist.
- How white parents can talk to their kids about race. – HuffPost
Resources for Educators:
Define ourselves by our aspirations, not our challenges: Next Narrative for Black America
Sign Color of Change’s petition to end the War on Black people
Sign the Color of Change petition to get #JusticeforFloyd
Sign the Color of Change petition to get #JusticeforBre
Sign the Change.org petition to federally require psychological screenings for police employment
Donate to the Louisville bail project
Support Black-owned restaurants and other Black-owned businesses in Louisville.
Check-in with your Black friends (with something more thoughtful than just “how are you?”)
Have conversations that are difficult. It’s ok to be uncomfortable.