Virtual learning event to explore ways of advancing racial equity

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation will host a virtual event on Wednesday, “Community Learning Series: Advancing Racial Equity in Linn County,” from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is available here.

At this event, Community Foundation staff and board members will share and discuss data related to racial disparities in Linn County. Recent census data shows that communities in Linn County are increasingly composed of people of color, who have long faced significantly more barriers to improving their quality of life than their white peers. At the local, state and national level, racial disparities persist in a wide range of categories. Research shows these disparities result from inequitable practices and policies that lead to divergent outcomes.

“Our Community Learning Series events are an effort by the Community Foundation to elevate awareness, generate conversation and encourage action around important issues facing our community,” said Karla Twedt-Ball, Senior Vice President, Programs and Community Investment at the Community Foundation. “At this event, we will look at some of the most persistent racial disparities in Linn County and discuss ways we might work together to address the root causes of those disparities as a community.”

Anthony Arrington, Diversity Focused Professional, Executive Talent Solution Partner at Top Rank Talent Solutions and current Community Foundation Board member, will share his personal experiences of growing up as a Black man in Cedar Rapids. Three other board members will join the discussion as panelists, sharing their perspectives about why racial equity matters in workforce development, education, health care and mental health. They include Jasmine Almoayyed, Vice President of Continuing Education at Kirkwood Community College, Okpara Rice, Chief Executive Officer of Tanager Place, and Rod Dooley, Lead Pastor at New City Church and Diversity & Inclusion Professional. The three also will discuss how the community can work toward a vibrant and inclusive Linn County where all people thrive.

For more information or to register, go to https://www.gcrcf.org/advancing-racial-equity-in-linn-county/

This event also will be recorded and posted at gcrcf.org.