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COMMENTARY: ABC’s Work To Dismantle Structural Racism

THE AFRO — Even before the death of Freddie Gray, Associated Black Charities (ABC) pushed for Baltimore to address structural racism and call out white privilege. If we are to change the economic outcomes for Baltimore’s Black citizens, we must be intentional about getting to the root of the problem.  As daunting as this may sound to some, it is the only route to economic transformation for Baltimore. More specifically, ABC chose to focus on dismantling structural racism within the workforce ecosystem, which includes workers, trainers/educators, employers, philanthropists, policy makers and citizens.  

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Diane Bell-McKoy, President and CEO of Associated Black Charities. (Courtesy photo)

By Diane Bell-McKoy, President & CEO of ABC

Even before the death of Freddie Gray, Associated Black Charities (ABC) pushed for Baltimore to address structural racism and call out white privilege. If we are to change the economic outcomes for Baltimore’s Black citizens, we must be intentional about getting to the root of the problem.  As daunting as this may sound to some, it is the only route to economic transformation for Baltimore. More specifically, ABC chose to focus on dismantling structural racism within the workforce ecosystem, which includes workers, trainers/educators, employers, philanthropists, policy makers and citizens.

We began by conducting research that identified the racial wage gaps that exist between White, Black and Brown citizens, often found in high growth industries. The common misconception is that the absence of a college degree is the barrier for upward mobility and attainment of wealth. However, opportunities for growth do exist from lower level positions, workers just need to be trained. We have found middle skills (no advanced degree required) jobs can be obtained as long as the training is employer led and encouraged.

To that end, for Black workers just starting a job, we partner with workforce development experts such as Goodwill Industries to deliver our Volunteer Career Mentoring Program. Each year we match 50 entry level workers with a seasoned professional who serves as their volunteer career coach or mentor to help guide them along their career path. We also provide participants with the soft skills needed to “manage” the work environment as a Black worker.  In addition, in order to ensure that our voices of change are heard in the rooms where important decisions are being made about how to serve our community, our Board Pipeline program trains people of color to sit on nonprofit boards. These are great “transactional tools” that provide much needed support for workers but not enough to dismantle structural racism.

Dismantling structural racism requires that first systems must be transformed. This work includes teaching policy makers that they can begin to create racial equitable policies by using the ABC’s Ten Essential Questions for Racial Equity Policy, or Ten Essential Questions for Workforce Providers.  This must be paired with creating space for the providers to examine the negative impact of structural racism on the workers they are serving. Once open to the discussion, ABC can follow up with specific coaching and training for the various layers of the organization, helping them to view their current systems and policies through a racial equity lens.

The most important player in all the work that we do is you. In order to empower more members of our community, we must engage them and expand their knowledge. In addition to providing programming, conducting research, convening focus groups, sharing data, creating knowledge forums, and partnering with other organizations are all a part of the journey to closing the racial wealth gap in Baltimore. In 2020, ABC will unveil the first of its kind video, teaching the history of structural racism in Baltimore.

To learn more about our programming and the work that we do to provide equitable opportunities for people of color to work, advance and build financial security and generational wealth to benefit their families and communities, please visit our website – www.abc-md.org.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The Afro-American Newspapers.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

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Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)
Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

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