Illustrations by Ard Su
Teenagers in orange aprons, wrenches in hand, are doing their part to counter the inequity in transportation options for Baltimore’s residents, one bike repair at a time.
In Connecticut, a nurse and educator is changing the way Black mothers receive maternal care, dismantling practices that contribute to the high number of pregnancy-related deaths among Black women and women of color. In Tampa, the city government is working hand-in-hand with the community to provide advice and financial support for first-time homebuyers in neighborhoods vulnerable to gentrification, offering an opportunity for people who never thought they could afford their own home.
Each of these initiatives, in their own way, is contributing to create a more equitable society bv replacing practices rooted in institutional racism and opening doors for collaboration, conversation and ultimately, trust. Racial healing, as the broad concept is known, encompasses efforts to create more green spaces in underserved neighborhoods, the fight against food deserts, the increase in translation and language services for immigrant communities, and many other programs to overcome inequities rooted in the nation’s history, as well as the difficult conversations among multiple races as the name suggests.
“You have enough people doing this over time, and you can change the world,” said Joseph Williams, deputy managing director of Word in Black, in a conversation with Report for America corps members in July. Williams, who reported on dozens of racial healing initiatives over the past few decades, has seen their cumulative effect: “Across the nation there are small individual groups. There are larger groups, there are cities, there are clubs. There are even just people having coffee at a diner talking about stuff. And all of that leads towards the bigger picture of racial healing,” he said.
Looking to get a better view of the tapestry of racial healing in the country, Report for America asked several of its host newsrooms to identify the people and projects that are making a difference in their communities, taking a critical look at their operations and results to understand how they succeed, what we can learn from them and how they could serve as a model for other communities.
Black farmers in Southwest Georgia united to counter discriminatory practices that over decades resulted in thousands of acres of lost land and missed opportunities in USDA funding. Together, these land cooperatives provide a network of support to make farming sustainable in the region.
Baltimore Youth Kinetic Energy Collective, or BYKE for short, teaches teens skills and provides them income. Leaders say the nonprofit’s work is a response to inequities in transportation and resources, and it saved cyclists $300,000 last year through their free repairs.
With the help of local nonprofits, lenders and housing counselors, the City of Tampa is leveraging two programs to address the lack of affordable housing its single-family housing market. Those who administer and benefit from the programs say it’s become a powerful tool for first-time homebuyers who are Black and Latino.
With an emphasis on mental health support and community engagement, a nurse-midwife and professor addresses maternal mortality among Black women and other women of color. The nonprofit collective offers clinical advice through preventative care, and prenatal and postpartum consultation.
The Weakley County Reconciliation Project, a community group in rural northwest Tennessee, encourages conversations around race and works to memorialize lynching victims. Through meetings & events they attempt to confront racism and build relationships that overcome its history.
