Unite Against Racism: Practicing Solidarity and Imagining New Futures

“What we cannot imagine cannot come into being.” – bell hooks

This year’s Unite Against Racism event is the launch of a transformational journey, where solidarity becomes not just a lofty ideal, but a guiding principle in our quest for meaningful change and our work for justice. Together, we can shape the future we want to see.

This April, YWCA Evanston/North Shore’s Equity Institute invites you to our Unite Against Racism event, “Practicing Solidarity and Imagining New Futures”. Facilitated by Jessica Vazquez Torres, National Program Director of Crossroads Antiracism, we'll explore what it takes to cultivate solidarity and what gets in the way of genuine connection and collaboration. Jessica will be in conversation with a panel who will share their experiences of co-struggle in many areas, including housing, immigration, and collective liberation. Panelists include:

• Tanya Watkins (she/her/hers) | writer, Black womanist, community organizer, prison abolitionist, executive director of Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL)
• Xavier Ramey (he/him/his) | social strategist, public speaker, and chief executive officer of Justice Informed
• Shawna Bowman (they/them/theirs) | artist, pastor of Friendship Presbyterian Church, executive director of Friendship Community Place

Through thought-provoking discussion, we'll consider how both organizations and individuals can move beyond a charity framework and deepen the impact of their work. Participants will walk away with conceptual and practical ways to root themselves in solidarity and imagine new futures.

LOCATION: IN-PERSON

Fleetwood-Jourdain Center, 1655 Foster St, Evanston, IL 60201

QUESTIONS...? CONTACT:

Heather Sweeney, Equity Institute Learning Manager

hsweeney@ywca-ens.org

(224) 420-3265