Alerts & Actions
Montana’s Racial and Social Justice Leaders Offer Online Webinar on Statewide Anti-Racism Work
Organizations and individuals across Montana collaborate to reduce racism and bigotry and increase empathy, compassion and understanding as COVID-19 advances
UPDATE:
Social and racial justice experts and organizations across Montana have came together for a 90-minute webinar to demonstrate how they are providing constructive community responses in light of the global pandemic. This session equipped Montanans with historical context as well as inform them of the prevailing social and racial justice issues the state is facing and the initiatives that have been created in response.
Partnering organizations:
Montana Human Rights Network
Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council
Montana Racial Equity Project
Missoula Urban Indian Health Center
Missoula’s IDEA
EmpowerMT
Speakers
Tina Has The Eagle, Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders Council
Ivan MacDonald, Urban Indian Health Center
Meshayla Cox, Montana Racial Equity Project
Rachel Carroll Rivas, Montana Human Rights Network
Tobin Shearer, Director of African American Studies and Associate professor of History
Vasu Sojitra, Earthtone Outside MT and Athlete Activist
Jamar Galbreath, Missoula’s IDEA , EmpowerMT
Alex Kim, Missoula’s IDEA, EmpowerMT
Co Hosts: Alex Kim Jamar Galbreath
Format: Each organization and Individual spoke about Racial and Social Justice issues across the state.
ORIGINAL POST:
As we are all dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, social and racial justice organizations across the state have come together to create a 90-minute webinar from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, April 3, 2020. The webinar will feature a series of 10-minute presentations that will inform and equip Montanans with current and historical information about key social and racial justice issues and initiatives.
Representatives from the groups below will be discussing specific issues that are arising and the ways these organizations and professionals are providing constructive community responses.
Montana Racial Equity Project, Meshayla Cox
Engaging community members in discussions around active anti-racism.
Training non-profit organizations in diversity and inclusion.
Tobin Miller Shearer, Director of the African-American Studies Program at the University of Montana
Explaining the history of racism and anti-racism work in Montana and issues to consider as we attempt to reduce systemic.
Montana Human Rights Network, Rachel Carroll Rivas
Exposing and addressing white nationalist conspiracy theories around COVID-19.
Rejecting attempts by white nationalists and other extremists to divide communities with anti-Semitism and anti-immigrant talking points.
Bringing awareness to white nationalist efforts to recruit students online.
Urban Indian Health Center, Ivan MacDonald
Outlining health care resources available for Montana’s Indigenous communities.
Rocky Mountain Tribal Leaders, Tina Has The Eagle
Discussing ongoing efforts to end the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW).
EmpowerMT & Missoula’s IDEA for Racial Justice, Jamar Galbreath and Alex Kim
Facilitating an activity around empathy for neighbors and community.
Vasu Sojitra
Explaining specific strategies around ways that allies can respond when they see implicit and explicit racism toward people in the Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
Informing listeners about the continual growth of xenophobia fueled by white nationalists toward AAPI.
“This online meeting will connect experts in social and racial justice work from across the state to empower, engage and inform the people on issues that are affecting Montana’s diverse communities in the midst of COVID-19,” said Alex Kim, community organizer and activist for social and racial justice issues. “These leaders are working together to reject misinformation and discrimination by using acceptance, empathy, and compassion.”
These organizations will continue to work together to create a stronger sense of community across Montana even as people are reducing the spread of COVID-19 by canceling in-person meetings and remaining in their homes.
This webinar will take place on the online meeting platform Zoom, and the link can be found in the Facebook event titled “Montana Social and Racial Justice Webinar During COVID-19” at this address: https://www.facebook.com/events/699080937528290/. A recording and a transcript will be available after the webinar.