Grief, Empathy, and Commitment – The Poe Center’s Response to Racial Injustice
The Poe Center grieves the senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and David McAtee. The injustice the world has experienced is glaring and undeniable. It is systemic racism. Racism is a centuries-old pandemic ingrained in our current systems and daily interactions. It takes a daily toll on Black and Brown people and is traumatic.
The Poe Center condemns racism and stands with those dedicated to equity and inclusion.
As health education experts, we know systemic racism is a public health crisis. Traumatic stress can lead to chronic anxiety, depression, substance use, cardiovascular disease, and other physical diseases. As a leader in health education, our mission calls on us to help North Carolina citizens lead healthier lives. Therefore, we must confront racism.
The Poe Center‘s core values of diversity, proactivity, integrity, communication, and respect will guide us in answering how we can do more to combat racism.
- We invite our staff to take the personal time and space they may need to grieve and process these tragedies.
- We commit to listening to our staff and constituents about their needs and feelings without judgment and without the burden of resolution.
- We commit to evaluate and improve our staff development to include more diversity, anti-racism, and inclusion training during staff orientation and continued professional development.
- We commit to analyzing our policies and procedures and identify strategies to advance racial equity.
- We continue our commitment to partner with organizations whose mission is to work on systemic issues of racism in our community.
This is a start. There is much more to figure out. It will be a journey, and we are committed to the process.
Resource List for Learning More and Taking Action:
Workshops, Trainings, and Independent Challenges:
- Organizing Against Racism: Organizing Against Racism (OAR) is a network of anti-racism groups based in or around the Triangle, North Carolina that host trainings and events to advance racial equity. Most of the participants in OAR activities are alumni of the two-day Racial Equity Institute (REI) Anti-Racism workshops.
- Food Solutions New England’s Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge: Commit to deepening your understanding of, and willingness to confront, racism for twenty-one consecutive days. At the very least, the Challenge will raise your awareness.
- Resources for the Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge: Further readings from Food Solutions New England’s Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge
- Teaching Tolerance Lessons Page: These robust, ready-to-use classroom lessons offer breadth and depth, spanning essential social justice topics and reinforcing critical social-emotional learning skills.
- Bystander Intervention Training to Stop Anti-Asian/American and Xenophobic Harassment: A free bystander intervention training and a de-escalation training that addresses the types of disrespect that Asian and Asian American folks face, from microaggressions to violence. Learn the positive impact that bystander intervention has on individuals and communities.
Books, Documentaries, and Other Media for Youth and their Families:
- The Talk: Race in America: This film documents the increasingly common conversation taking place in homes across the country between parents of color and their children, especially sons, about how to behave if they are ever stopped by the police.
- Learning About Racism & Anti-Racism: A booklist for families
Talking with Children about Racism and Violence:
- Resources for Talking about Race, Racism, and Racialized Violence with Kids: A comprehensive list of resources for talking with your child about race.
- Talking to Kids About Violence: In the wake of tragic events, try to keep misinformation to a minimum, ask your child what they know, and answer questions sensitively.
- How to Talk to Kids About Violence, Crime, and War: Exposure to graphic images, distressing information, and horrific headlines can affect kids’ overall well-being
- How White Parents Can use Media to Raise Anti-Racist Kids: Movies, TV, and books can be powerful teaching tools when it comes to helping kids understand race, racism, and a history of racial oppression.
Scientific Articles Confirming the Harmful Effects of Racism:
- Scientists Start To Tease Out The Subtler Ways Racism Hurts Health: Exploring key ways racism contributes to health disparities.
- Addressing Law Enforcement Violence as a Public Health Issue (Study from the American Public Health Association)
- Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice, and Health: This site offers tools, research, tips, curricula and ideas for people who want to increase their own understanding and to help those working toward justice at every level – in systems, organizations, communities and the culture at large.
- Black Lives Matter: A Commentary on Racism and Public Health: This study reiterates how salient structural racism is in our society, and how critical antiracist work is to the core goals and values of public health.
- Resources on Race, Racism, and Health from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Exploring how race and racism affects health
- Clemson researchers help lead national discussion on race and play: Research demonstrates that children growing up in the U.S. today have fewer opportunities to play than their parents. That lack of opportunity is further exacerbated for black children, according to an article published by Clemson University researchers.
- Documenting and Addressing the Health Impacts of Carceral Systems