A National Day of Racial Healing 2024
In solidarity with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Birth to Five Illinois honored and participated in A National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH): The Heart of Racial Equity. NDOHR took place this year on January 16, 2024, the day after that on which we honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
From their website, NDORH “is a time to contemplate our shared values and create the blueprint together for #HowWeHeal from the effects of racism. It is an opportunity to bring ALL people together in their common humanity and inspire collective action to create a more just and equitable world.”
This year, our Regional Team members were asked to share their stories of lessons learned from the field:
In solidarity with the W.K. Kellogg’s A National Day of Racial Healing, Birth to Five Illinois acknowledges that “racial healing is at the core of racial equity.” What have you learned about racial equity in the work we are doing through Birth to Five Illinois and how are you uplifting racial equity in your Region?
We have posted reflections from some of our Team members below and on our social media pages, and we ask you to join us on the journey to ensure Dr. King’s dream of racial equity for all people. THIS is #HowWeHeal.
In your work with Birth to Five Illinois, what have you learned about racial equity?
Though we have come a long way since Dr. King's speeches, more particularly the excerpt, "one day we will be judged not by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character,” we as a nation still have a mighty long way to go. Being part of an organization that includes voices of people from different races is valuable and speaks volumes for the work we do in ECEC.
Racial inequity will continue to exist until race is no longer a factor that determines a person’s success.
We have learned the importance of intentional accessibility, including materials in multiple languages.
Only by asking for feedback and asking questions about someone’s truth and experience, can I learn/relearn what steps could be taken to move towards racial equity.
There is so much to learn.
Everyone comes to the table with their protective guard up, but through training and by increasing our understanding of racial equity, we have placed biases to the side and have the tools (resources) needed to help solve this issue in our communities.
This is an ongoing process. Creating a system focused on racial equity starts with each of us, our acknowledgement of our biases, our interactions with others, and our willingness to learn and grow.
In our collaboration efforts with parents/families and many other community stakeholders in our Region, we are striving to capture and understand the systemic and structural barriers that our parents and families face when navigating the ECEC system.
We are all unique. There is no one else like you and we all have different talents, gifts, desires, and dreams. Therefore, we need many voices and perspectives to have a clear picture of how our work can be equitable and humanizing. We need to be thinking of everyone and how things affect those who may live a completely different lifestyle.
Everyone getting the same resources does not promote equity. Rather, equity is progressed through everyone getting the resources that they need.
It starts with each of us and looking inward at our own culture and belief system to open the dialogue and change the future. Through the training and continued community experience, we have learned that racial inequities are systemically embedded and we need to be interrupters to the current systems by elevating family and community voices.
Birth to Five Illinois has a foundation built on the well-articulated Mission, Vision, and Values/Goals. To ensure our values/goals are realized, the organization requires its employees to take multiple trainings and provides tools to aid in verbiage and accessibility to reach everyone within the 39 Regions, all based on racial equity.
It is critical as a person who works closely with different families and entities throughout the community that I acknowledge any implicit bias and take proactive steps to not let it impact my interactions with individuals. In order to establish positive relationships and make the way for change, it is important to not make any assumptions and truly listen to learn. It is also my responsibility to acknowledge historical trauma and the current racial landscape within my Region. As I talk with individuals, even if their lived experiences do not align with mine (especially as a white woman), it is their story. As such, I can serve as an ally to ensure that those voices that have been traditionally unwelcomed be heard.
Stronger understanding of deep hidden racial injustices. Learning to be a part of the solution instead of the problem. Increased confidence for difficult conversations around racial equity. Understanding more about my own biases and where they stem from in my life. Knowledge is key and be open to what knew knowledge brings.
Race is an artificial construct often used to continue forms of systemic racism.
The more healing we do as a society, the better life can become for everyone. Inequities are largely due to the direct harm that is placed on people of color from the fabricated construct of racial inequity. It is only through conscious effort, humanizing practices, and self-lead education, that healing can take place and the impacts of a racially equitable society can be positively received and nurtured.
We can achieve racial equity through a process of eliminating racial disparities and improving outcomes for everyone. We must be intentional and engage our entire community. Conversations can be challenging, but the first step of doing the work is by having the hard conversations and getting all the voices at the table.
What are you doing to uplift racial equity in your Region?
Focusing on decolonizing language to focus on better systemic solutions with our Action and Family Council Members. In turn, we then ask them to share the resources with their loved ones and organizations to ensure we are all using the appropriate language when communicating with our community members and when engaging in meaning conversations.
We as a Team continuously look for ways to improve our knowledge and practices to be more equitable. We have cultivated a climate of openness to feedback to ensure we stay curious about ways to improve our culture and how we support our communities. In each of our roles, we aim to learn from the people we seek to serve, as well as collaborate to create more equitable systems and structures.
Fostering engaging and constructive conversations. Creating a safe space to dialogue hard conversations. Allowing the opportunity for everyone's voice. Participating in a book club around elevating equity within ECEC programs.
Ensuring equity is a core component of the Birth to Five Illinois mission and vision and subsequently is embedded in all that we do. Our Councils are intentional in determining any possible risks that could unintentionally cause harm to certain populations even though it benefits others. As we work towards solutions, our Councils consider the question: “how do we mitigate harm?” This mindset strengthens our cultural competency and has created opportunities to proactively problem solve. We are committed to family voice with each step along the way.
As a Family and Community Engagement Specialist, I am provided with the opportunity to speak with an extensive set of diverse parents, caregivers, community stakeholders, and children within my Region. Keeping racial equity in mind during each of these conversations is a priority. With that being said, I am sure to listen to each individual about what their needs are, the barriers they face, and how those needs and barriers affect their families. All of this is what makes a family story so imperative to our work. Projecting the voices that are typically unheard aids in creating the equitable access Birth to Five Illinois strives for.
We make a conscious effort to connect with all stakeholders and families in our Region and really listen to their thoughts and perspectives. When we meet with organizations and caregivers we always emphasize the importance of their story and invite them to share it on our website. In addition, we invite people in our community to be part of our Action and Family Councils in order to diversify the dialogues.
Talking about it in community! Our Region is very rural with little racial diversity. Making sure to "level set" prior to meetings, around equity, so we are all on the same page.
We listen to the different perspectives of those who live in our communities. We bring people together in our Acton and Family Councils to hear their ideas and help us with our Action Planning. And we do this as we speak to the decision-makers in the State and speak up for those who are not typically heard. We are not fighting for one type of child or family, we are fighting for ALL children and families to have the equitable and affordable services that their children need to thrive.
Our Councils have provided a platform that has allowed us to extend our outreach to organizations/employers outside the ECEC field.
I try to set an example and speak out against people and policies that impact equity. I do not tolerate any level of bigotry guised as "small town values."
To uplift equity we ensure that inclusivity is at the forefront of events. What I have observed as most helpful is ensuring that accommodations are in place for those who need it.
We will be discussing A National Day of Racial Healing with our Action and Family Councils in the month of January, acknowledging the actual day celebrated and how we can better incorporate it in our work.
Creating space for individuals to share their thoughts and feelings about racial inequity and encouraging others to create their own opportunities for this type of dialogue lends to a better understanding of how to uplift racial equity across the Region.
We are intentional about connecting with those in priority populations and centering the voices of historically oppressed populations. We use diverse images in our marketing and social media materials and use language that is welcoming, not just inclusive, of all family structures and backgrounds.
We inform people about racial equity and ask them how this is accomplished in the spaces that they are in. We speak to people with open minds and allow them to voice their stories to us. We let them know that their story is powerful and important.
Because everyone could benefit from a more equitable system, I am taking the time to read and understand why policies were put into place and educating others about these systems.
Being involved in the conversations and allowing others to speak and listen from across economic or demographic lines.
Share Your Experiences
Visit our Storytelling page to share about your experience with the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) system.
Read More Stories
You can read more stories of hopes, hurts, and dreams (in English and Spanish) on our Family Stories page.