Notes from the Chair continued...

You may have learned about us from attending some of our public events like Coffee House Discussions or Talking to Children about Race; or from our targeted Anti-bias Trainings for realtors or the business community; or from one of our more informational sessions on eviction and foreclosure prevention. But I want to make sure you also know about some of the other work we have coming down the road that is not event based, but very much important to addressing and understanding structural racism in our community.
I am excited that our Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Testing Committee will be able to use the recently released census data to update and reassess our demographics report. This information lets us see where we are, where we have come from, and how much further we have to go to address segregation by census tracts within the towns, within the schools, and in other pockets of the community. I am also very excited about the Wealth Gap Equalizer Loan Pilot developed by the Residential Committee. This affirmative, asset-based loan provides additional financing to home buyers from historically disenfranchised populations to support home purchases in our community.
I may have moved to Maplewood not fully understanding the role the Coalition had in helping to create a community I wanted to live in. But I know now that without the 25 years of advocacy, organizing, programming, and learning, we wouldn't be where we are today: establishing a deep, visible, and consistent commitment to racial justice, equity, and intentional integration. I encourage you to consider volunteering your time, or learning more about the Coalition's history, and work. Keep your eyes peeled for the exciting and transformative work that's to come as well.