Virtual Community Learning Series Event to Explore Ways of Advancing Racial Equity in Linn County

Event Date: Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 12 – 1 p.m. via Zoom

The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation will host a virtual Community Learning Series: Advancing Racial Equity in Linn County event on Wednesday, November 17, from 12 – 1 p.m. via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public.

At this event, Community Foundation staff and board members will share and discuss data related to racial disparities in Linn County. Recent Census data shows that communities in Linn County are increasingly composed of people of color, who have long faced significantly more barriers to improving their quality of life than their White peers. At the local, state, and national level, racial disparities persist in a wide range of categories. Research shows these disparities result from inequitable practices and policies that lead to divergent outcomes.

“Our Community Learning Series events are an effort by the Community Foundation to elevate awareness, generate conversation and encourage action around important issues facing our community,” says Karla Twedt-Ball, Senior Vice President, Programs and Community Investment at the Community Foundation. “At this event, we will look at some of the most persistent racial disparities in Linn County and discuss ways we might work together to address the root causes of those disparities as a community.”

Anthony Arrington, Diversity Focused Professional, Executive Talent Solution Partner at Top Rank Talent Solutions and current Community Foundation Board member, will share his personal experiences of growing up as a Black man in Cedar Rapids. Three other Board members will join the discussion as panelists, sharing their perspectives about why racial equity matters in workforce development, education, health care and mental health. They include Jasmine Almoayyed, Vice President of Continuing Education at Kirkwood Community College, Okpara Rice, Chief Executive Officer of Tanager Place, and Rod Dooley, Lead Pastor at New City Church and Diversity & Inclusion Professional. The three will also discuss how our community can work toward a vibrant and inclusive Linn County where all people thrive.

EVENT DETAILS:

WHAT:            Community Learning Series: Advancing Racial Equity in Linn County

WHO:              Open to the public

WHEN:             Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 12 – 1 p.m.  

WHERE:           Zoom

WHY:               To elevate awareness, generate discussion and encourage action around advancing racial equity in Linn County.

COST:              Free

REGISTER:       To register, click here.

This event will be recorded and posted at gcrcf.org.

To learn more about the event, click here.