The Connecticut Association for Community Action represents community action agencies, which serve more than 200,000 people statewide. Research indicates that Black and Hispanic and Latinx adults are more likely than white adults to report experiencing unfair treatment because of their race or ethnicity when applying for benefits. This funding will support the association in providing Racial Healing Circle sessions to agency staff to help them identify implicit biases and understand structural racism, and to use this awareness to better meet the needs of every person they serve. This work is also intended to help staff members build skills to promote racial and health equity within their organizations and communities.
This grant was awarded as part of The Sanford Cloud Awards for Diverse Advocacy, Policy, and Equity, designed to advance health equity for people of color by investing in initiatives led by graduates of the foundation’s Health Leadership Fellows Program and Academy for Health Equity Advocacy and Leadership. The award is named in honor of Sanford Cloud Jr., the foundation’s former board chair.