In a shared commitment to building just and equitable communities in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, CCC partnered with FPWA and United Neighborhood Houses to host a series of Racial Equity Advancement Labs (R.E.A.L.).

These convenings, held throughout October, brought hundreds of New Yorkers together for panel discussions designed to unpack the structural and institutional barriers that disproportionately keep people of color living in or near poverty.

Each conversation centered on one of the core pillars of true equality: economic, housing, health, education and justice.

• In economic equity, we examined the economic disparities that existed long before the pandemic, as a result of systemic economic exclusion for generations of Black and brown communities, and the ways we might begin to address them.
  • Watch the Economic Equity webinar here.
• In housing equity, we explored the intersection between family homelessness, affordable housing and historical policies such as redlining and segregation that contribute to present day housing inequity.
  • Watch the Housing Equity webinar here.
• In health equity, we discussed the racial inequities experienced by NY’s children and families in accessing behavioral health care, how their needs for care have been heightened as a result of the pandemic, and how New York can better meet the behavioral health needs of children and families.
  • Watch the Health Equity webinar here.
• In education equity, we discussed how systemic racism impacts our city’s education system, including a look at the ways that the racial educational achievement gap is interconnected with systemic inequality.
  • Watch the Educational Equity webinar here.
• In justice equity, we discussed the ways that systemic racism drives both poverty and mass incarceration of low-income people of color, putting these communities especially at risk for justice system involvement.
  • Watch the Justice Equity webinar here.

Building on our R.E.A.L. Equity collaboration, CCC will rollout a series of presentations and panel discussions this winter and spring that will allow us to continue to build public dialogue around some of the most pressing issues facing children and families today.

Leveraging our data and policy expertise, CCC’s Advancing Equity webinars and virtual forums will discuss the disparities driving inequities in NYC and discuss the policies and budget concerns that must be prioritized as part of our COVID-19 response and recovery efforts for New York City.

These panel discussions will provide a foundation not only for our collective State, City and Federal advocacy in 2021 but for collaborative efforts in the run up to the citywide elections in 2021 to advance race-conscious policies and programs to establish economic security and well-being for all.

If ever there was a moment to dig in and fight for true and lasting equity for all New Yorkers, the time is now. We hope you join us.