YWCA and Children Services hold Stand Against Racism Conference
By Dave Murray TCC Web Editor
APRIL 19, 2021 — The YMCA of Northwest Ohio will continue with its mission of educating the public about the effects of racism and ending structural racism in our community by partnering with Lucas County Children Services to sponsor a two-day virtual conference entitled, Stand Against Racism Conference — the Trauma of Systemic Racism and the Black Family, on April 22 and April 23 from 1 to 5 p.m.
Registration is required at https://vinyu.us/ywca. The cost of registering for both days of the conference is $50, with limited scholarships available for high school and college-age young adults. Apply for scholarships by email to mgarner@ywcanwo.org.
Thursday’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Barbara Love, author and professor emeritus of social justice education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She returns to Toledo to discuss liberation, individual and societal transformation, and social justice.
Dr. Love’s presentation will be followed by discussions led by Dr. Michael W. Waters, founding pastor of Abundant Life A.M.E. Church in Dallas, Texas, and the author of the award-winning books, For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World, and Stakes Is High: Race, Faith, and Hope for America. His wife, Yulise Reaves Waters, Esq., will address incarceration and criminal justice reform. Ms. Waters is deputy director of the Lone Star Justice Alliance, a nonprofit legal organization in Texas that improves the lives of youth and emerging adults in the justice system and addresses racial disparities in the criminal legal system.
On Friday, Jawanza Kunjufu will provide the keynote address. He is the author of more than 25 books about the challenges and obstacles that Black boys encounter in education and American culture, including Raising Black Boys, and 200 Plus Educational Strategies to Teach Children of Color. His work has been featured in Ebony and Essence, and he has been a guest on BET and Oprah. His presentation will be followed by a “fireside debrief,” with Toledo-area leaders from child welfare, education, mental and physical health, law enforcement, and criminal justice. The panel will discuss the ways that racism plays out for children and families in their individual circles.
The final presenter will be Adrienne Elhai, Ph.D., of Toledo’s Cullen Center and an expert in treating childhood trauma.
Contact Dave Murray at davidmmurray1954@gmail.com.
