Capital Region Coalition Announces Anti-Racism Training Initiative

CAPITAL REGION COALITION ANNOUNCES ANTIRACISM TRAINING INITIATIVE

Series kicks off with virtual presentation by New York Times bestselling author of “How to be an AntiRacist” Ibram X. Kendi

July 21, 2020 — New York Times bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi, Ph.D., will discuss the ideas presented in his book “How to Be an Antiracist” in a virtual presentation at 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 27 with Denise Murphy McGraw, president of the Junior League of Schnectady & Saratoga Counties and Hayward Horton, PhD, associate professor of Sociology at SUNY Albany  as the kick-off to the Capital Region Antiracism Training Initiative. 

The antiracism project – a series of events scheduled through the fall – is a collaboration between The Junior League of Schenectady & Saratoga Counties, Proctors Collaborative, Samaritan Counseling, the United Way of the Greater Capital Region. The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce is a community partner.

“This dynamic and inclusive training initiative is designed to provide the community at large with the tools they need to identify and combat racism at all levels,” according to organizer Murphy McGraw. “The initiative seeks to provide robust interactive training with a variety of experts intended to cultivate your inner antiracist.”    

Hayward Horton, Ph. D., in addition to his role as an associate professor of sociology at SUNY Albany, is president of the Association of Black Sociologists. “The Capital Region Anti-Racism Training Initiative is an important preliminary step. It is hoped that we will present a model that can be replicated throughout the United States.” McGraw said the project evolved “from a very successful recent virtual book discussion” of Dr. Kendi’s book moderated by Horton, which drew over 300 participants.

Another member of the organizing committee is Portia Alston, first vice chair of the Schenectady NAACP, who discussed this project’s importance and urged community members to participate, “In keeping with the mission of the NAACP, it is of utmost importance that we as a nation seek to secure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons,” said Alston. “Like the NAACP mission, this antiracism collaboration is very timely, very necessary and will be inspiring to anyone who hears it and accepts the opportunity to participate.”

Dr. Kendi is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a professor of history, and the founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. He is a columnist at The Atlantic and a correspondent with CBS News. He is the author of five books including “Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction; How to Be an Antiracist; Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, co-authored with Jason Reynolds; and Antiracist Baby, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky.

The July 27 event also marks the launch of Collaborative Studios, a service of Proctors Collaborative and Collaborative Media. Dr. Kendi’s presentation will be accessible to the public live through the Collaborative Studios channel in Albany and Schenectady (Spectrum channel 1302 and Verizon Fios channel 37), as well as the Collaborative Media’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. And it will be available immediately following the event on the Collaborative Studios app, which is available now on the Apple TV, Fire TV and Roku devices, for 30 days. 

A 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge will be launched Aug. 10 in collaboration with the United Way of the Greater Capital Region; it is designed to further understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity. The challenge was developed by Eddie Moore, director of The Privilege Institute and The National White Privilege Conference; author and educator Debby Irving; and Marguerite Penick-Parks, graduate coordinator for educational leadership and policy at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Communities around the country have conducted the curriculum which includes daily suggestions for readings, podcasts, videos, observations, and ways to form and deepen community connections. 

After the 21-Day Challenge, the Allyship Institute will be launched and will include a series of trainings aimed at AntiRacist parenting, health and mental health, clergy and congregations, artists and arts, civic leadership, and educators. Dates, times and facilitators will be announced in August. Those sessions will also be available across Collaborative Studios’ outlets. 

The Capital Region Antiracism Training Initiative is asking everyone participating at any step in the process sign up for an email newsletter at proctors.org/antiracism. The group will send out regular updates including event information, reading and watching resources and more. 

Additional community partners include Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Foundation, NAACP Schenectady Branch 2715, Schenectady City School District, Schenectady Clergy Against Hate, SchenEquity, the YWCA-Northeastern, and The Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce, Schenectady InnerCity Mission, NYS Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health, and the Association for Marriage & Family Therapy -- New York Chapter.

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