Become A Racial Equity Coach Today!

Converge is excited to announce that the Converge College Coaching program has launched its recruitment cycle! We are accepting applications from non-profit professionals and consultants who desire to add racial equity coaching to their skillset. Applications for our Racial and InterSectional Equity (RISE) Coach Certification program are now open! We invite all interested non-profit professionals and consultants to apply. 

The application can be found at www.convergeforchange.com/college.The deadline for completed applications and supplemental materials are October 31, 2021.

For additional information or to discuss the program, please contact Nia Davis, Converge College Dean, at nia@convergeforchange.com or book a 15-minute meeting here. 

We look forward to receiving your application!

Episode 2: Converge for Change the Business of Social Justice Podcast

This episode of Converge for Change the Business of Social Justice Podcast begins with a special guest segment with Lauren Maddox, Co-founder of Due East Partners. Takema and Lauren discuss some of the major pain points experienced today in non-profit and social justice work including one of the most salient, language barriers.  

“When you don’t have those relationships built and the language isn’t there then it’s like everybody’s sort of walking on eggshells,” says Maddox. “We’ve seen this a lot, especially in the collaborative work.”

For a deeper dive, Takema welcomes Nia Davis (Converge College Dean) and Dr. Jennifer Sandoval (Language Expert & Assoc. Professor at the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida.) for a live conversation about the evolution and power of language and communication. Tune in to the panel as they explore the effects and influence of colonial practices, resistance & the culture of fear, and the importance of education & understanding. 

Let’s Stand Up for our Haitian Brothers and Sisters

Over the past few weeks, we have seen the awful images of our Haitian brothers and sisters being chased by men on horses. Those images took us back to slavery when our people would try to escape the bondage evoked by their white slave masters. Haitian asylum seekers for weeks and months have been fleeing toward a safe haven only to be terrorized, abused, and then deported. At the same time, others are being sent to Guantanamo Bay or back to Mexico, where they are routinely prayed on by Mexican security forces because of their skin color. Haitian children and families deserve to be welcomed with dignity and respect as everyone else.

It's time to hold President Biden accountable for the promises he has made to the Haitian Community. We demand fair immigration policies! At Converge, we stand with our Haitian families and will hold our leaders accountable.   #StopDeportationFlights.

We’re Hiring!

Converge for Change is hiring a Converge College Enrollment Specialist. Converge organizes information, people, and resources to build a robust social justice infrastructure across the U.S. South where strong leaders, organizations and movements grow. Converge Consulting uses a strategic framework to shift power so communities of color are self-defined and self-determined.

Converge College, Converge’s newest business line, is dedicated to training and equipping nonprofit leaders and professionals with racial and intersectional equity tools for their organization launches on February 7, 2022. This position will have a pivotal role in supporting launch activities such as course sales, student enrollment, student experience activities, course inquiries and communication, support group monitoring, technical support to students, and other duties as assigned by the CC Dean.

For more information on requirements and responsibilities, click here.

Race and Place-based Philanthropy: Building Community Power from Within

How are funders deepening their efforts to build power in the communities they support? The Bridgespan Group published an article as part of a five-part series on how leading place-based funders, including our founder Takema Robinson, are working to accelerate equitable impact across the country.

The article notes that there is a growing recognition across place-based funders that they can use the privilege and power they hold—as well as their proximity to regional public and private sector power brokers—to amplify power in under-resourced communities. Their logic: communities stand a better chance of achieving just and equitable, enduring solutions to stubborn social challenges that have long eluded quick fixes when they have the resources to realize their aims. So what are funders doing to authentically build power in the communities they serve—especially Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other communities that have been structurally held back from realizing their full potential?

The 12 peers in the place-based funders learning group who gathered together in 2020 are helping under-resourced communities act as their own agents of change. They are leaning into this shift by supporting Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) leaders of organizations serving BIPOC communities through flexible funds and professional services, indirectly or through intermediaries, and by supporting grassroots groups. As our CEO Takema M. Robinson states in the article, “Organizing and power building is almost the only answer to the current crises. Power building is an emergency response.”

The Bridgespan Group will host a  webinar on Wednesday, November 17th, from 10 - 11 am PST to discuss the article further. Register here.

Breast Cancer’s Impact on Black Women

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, where we see businesses, social media, and even sports teams dedicate the month to survivors of the disease and the many who have died by donning pink in some shape or form. While discussions of early detection and regular screenings dominate the discussion during the month, one topic that needs addressing is the rising mortality rates for Black women. Compared to white women, Black women are more likely to die from the disease today, and the numbers continue to grow. The latest statistics show that Black women have a 31% breast cancer mortality rate – the highest of any U.S. racial or ethnic group.

Additionally, Black women face both disproportionate exposures to breast carcinogens and the highest risk of serious health impacts from the disease.  It’s time to raise the alarm to understand why more Black women have lower survival rates and how to give all of us a better fighting chance at survival.

Additionally, check out this article Health Disparities By Race And Class: Why Both Matter written by Ichiro Kawachi, Norman Daniels, and Dean E. Robinson available in our R.I.S.E. Resource library.

Indigenous Day is Over: What's Next is Important

At Converge, we’d like to pay our respects after the recent observance of National Indigenous Peoples’ Day, offering our best wishes as we stand in solidarity with our Native American allies who deserve more than just a single day in their honor. As we continue to move forward, however, much work remains to be done to dismantle Christopher Columbus’s myths and his near destruction of native peoples’ way of life in the Americas’ and Caribbean. Our Native American population requires better healthcare, resources, and, more importantly, having their sacred land protected from big industry. 

Converge Corner: New Client Spotlight

We are excited to welcome our new clients to the Converge Family! We look forward to collaborating with you.

• Build Health Challenge by Equal Measure, Spark Policy Institute and MPHI

• Contracting for Equity by Tim Lohrentz, Insight Center for Community Economic Development

• Work life Integration by Diversity Best Practices