Urban League announces 12-month INTERRUPT RACISM Cohort racial equity program
The Urban League of Rochester is launching a new, 12-month INTERRUPT RACISM Cohort this fall for organizations and businesses interested in addressing racial equity within their teams and in the greater Rochester community. The application for this program is now live, and the deadline to apply is Wednesday, June 30, at 12 noon EST.
“To create a more equitable Rochester, we must work together across sectors to do the challenging work of interrupting centuries-long processes of systemic racism,” stated Dr. Seanelle Hawkins, President and CEO of the Urban League of Rochester.
The INTERRUPT RACISM Cohort is the latest iteration of a program that was previously known as the Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, or REJI, at St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center. REJI successfully engaged over 40 organizations and more than 400 leaders in the Rochester community across two cohorts in dismantling racism.
Each participating organization or business will have a "Change Team," a working committee of up to 8 members, ideally from all levels of the organization. The Change Team will receive custom training and support to help their organization more deeply engage with race and racial equity in their specific context.
“This is a process that is responsive to where your organization is right now,” said Sasha Mitchell, the Senior Program Coordinator for INTERRUPT RACISM. “You can show us where you are at with racial equity and where you want to go, and we will help you build out that plan.” Topics to be covered in the program include talking about race in the workplace, recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, and developing partnership with communities of color, among others.
“To create a more equitable Rochester, we must work together across sectors to do the challenging work of interrupting centuries-long processes of systemic racism.”
The cohort begins August 2, 2021, and will run through August 2022. The Change Teams will meet all together twice a month virtually via Zoom with local DEIJ experts to guide them through the Change Team process. They will also be provided with planning resources, readings, and other supporting materials related to each session topic and have access to cohort conference events.
“There is no ‘quick fix’ here,” Hawkins added, “but the Urban League wants to do everything we can to facilitate learning and to support the actions of organizations that are serious about tackling complex issues of race in their spaces and in their community. We want them to join our INTERRUPT RACISM Cohort.”
Pricing for participants is $3,000 per organization Change Team of up to 8 members to participate in 12 months of programming. Some scholarships may be available. For more information about the INTERRUPT RACISM Cohort, please contact Dan Butler at dbutler@ulr.org.
Questions and press inquiries may be directed to wrivera@ulr.org.