The Health Equity Team attended this year’s Facing Race Conference. The three-day conference is one of the largest conferences for racial justice advocates.  This year’s conference featured a keynote address by Dr. Ibram X Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist.  Held after the midterm elections, an ongoing theme of the conference was the recent surge in civic participation by people of color. This has led to a shift in government policies towards more equity. Here are a few calls to action shared during the conference that inspired our team: 

• Racial equity work isn’t always easy. We need to take care of ourselves by focusing on rest, laughter, and grace. 
• Today’s youth are leaders who are transforming their communities. They are becoming decision makers to change the course of their current destinies. We need to increase the voice of youth of color in our racial equity movements.  We will continue to support existing youth-led organizations and extend invitations to youth to join organizations that service their communities.  
• We are working to build a democracy that works for everyone. This requires that we widen the range of stories we tell about who we are. In this way, we can identify our shared values and use them to advance equity for all.