The National Parent Leadership Institute (NPLI) Hosts Racial Equity Think Tank in Rochester, NY
Racial Equity Think Tank Builds Parent Leaders’ capacity to address inequities in their Communities.
ROCHESTER, NY — The National Parent Leadership Institute (NPLI) with the support of the Hagedorn Foundation, Abriendo Puertas, and the Einhorn Foundation, convened Parent Leaders and Parent Leadership Initiative field partners for the NPLI 2018 Racial Equity Think Tank: Advancing Racial Justice Through Parent Leadership October 8-11, 2018. Parent leaders, community networkers, policy/data analysts, advocacy and organizing experts all gathered for deep dialogue on current challenges and strategies to civically engage parents across race and culture. The Interaction Institute for Social Change (IISC) and EmbraceRace were partners, facilitators, and co-trainers in this work.
Parent Leaders from 10 Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) communities across the U.S. participated in 3 days of activities and training for open dialogue on racial equity issues, capacity building and action planning to address race and equity in their home communities. PLTI is a family civics initiative of the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children and Seniors. Attending teams will come from: California (Merced, Solano, San Joaquin counties); Alexandria, Virginia; New York City and Rochester, New York; Miami, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming; Prowers County, Colorado; Everett, Washington and a state team from Connecticut (Danbury, Hartford, Meriden, Plymouth, Stamford, Waterbury, West Hartford).
During the Think Tank, Parent Leadership Initiative field teams identified opportunities for working collectively to improve equity and to effectively work across difference as they increase opportunities for parents of color and parents with low income to deeply participate civically. In addition to NPLI, attending initiatives include: Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors, Los Angeles; Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI), Chicago; Parent Voices, California; Parent Ambassadors, Washington State and Parents for Public Schools, Mississippi.
The diversity of participants brought strength to the learning experience. Participants contributed their personal experiences, skills, and lessons learned as they prepared to return to their communities to advance the critical equity and diversity work of the field of parent leadership and civic engagement. National experts facilitated conversations on race and culture, to enable attendees to lead critical conversations in their home community.
NPLI will continue to advance its racial equity work with the start of this new learning community and will offer tools in resources to attendees as they continue to work collaboratively.
