What draws you to ERASE Racism and how did you first hear about us?
My family and I are moving to Long Island in June from Southern Maine and I was researching organizations that do antiracism work on Long Island. I found ERASE Racism while doing research and was drawn to it for several reasons. I was impressed with the work the organization has accomplished and liked that it was established since 2001. There has been an influx of new organizations doing antiracism work recently, which is great, but I was also excited about the opportunity to learn from an organization that is fully established. I was also very drawn to ERASE Racism because it is a multiracial organization working toward equity, taking its leadership primarily from women of color. I have been involved in antiracism work most recently in a vastly white area. In this work I’ve learned it is important to do antiracism work in white spaces because white people knowingly and often unknowingly contribute and benefit from structural racism and therefore must be part of dismantling it. At the same time when white people are doing this work in a vacuum the potential to make mistakes and cause harm even with the best intentions is high. I’m excited to support an organization that is multiracial, research based, gets results and clearly listens and amplifies the needs of people with lived experience.

 What would you like to tell people who couldn’t come to the Meet and Greet Partner Event?
I’m someone that often is uncomfortable with networking events and was surprised how much I enjoyed this event. I pushed myself to attend because I’m new to the area and was really inspired and motivated by the conversations I had at the event. Not only did I get to learn about ERASE Racism’s work and history from the staff and board members, but I met other equity partners that came to the event. The attendees had diverse backgrounds and reasons for coming to the event and it was a great opportunity to meet people with a shared interest.

Please give me a quote that describes your experience at the social?
I felt inspired and encouraged to not only deepen my antiracism work in a new location and culture but motivated to get to know the people that share an interest in this work.

What inspires you or impresses you about ERASE Racism?
I’m very inspired by the areas of equity ERASE Racism tackles on Long Island. My father moved to Long Island as a child from Brooklyn during the early 50s and grew up, along with his 6 younger siblings, when many of the structural inequities that exist on Long Island came to be. I often visited my relatives on Long Island when I was growing up and I still have several relatives that live on the Island. What has happened on Long Island in terms of housing segregation and education inequity as well as the general denial or invisibility of it to many white people has happened everywhere. Still knowing that Long Island is one of the most segregated regions in the entire country gives the issues even more significance. My grandparents were first generation Irish immigrants and a WWII veteran that received many benefits based on their skin color that were denied to black and brown people. Their story is similar to many others on Long Island and it places me in the story. I think it’s important as white people that we understand the history of the current inequity in our system and make visible the unearned ways we benefit from it. I’m inspired to help the efforts to address racial injustice on Long Island.

What area of social justice and equity are you most passionate about?
I’m most passionate about advocating for those that are impacted by racial injustice. One way this has played out in my life was my choice to become a Social Worker. Through my education and work I became very aware of the external systemic aspects of racism. Although I cared deeply and wanted things to change, I don’t think my efforts to impact change were most effective because I was primarily externalizing racism. Only more recently, as I have become more aware of the internalized parts of racism, and the ways whiteness serves to condition us to not see the ways we reinforce racism, have I become an effective advocate for racial justice. I have been working to undo my own conditioning as well as others by creating educational opportunities in my region and supporting efforts to actively end our complicity in the systems that create racism. I feel passionate about calling other white people in, urging them to care about racial inequity, and understand its impact not only on people of color, but also on ourselves.

Which social activists are you inspired by?

• My Best Friend Charmin Caulley who has impacted my antiracism activism and taught me more from her authenticity than any class, book or experienced activist. 
• Beti Stevens a local student activist in Kittery ME that was born in Ethiopia and came here at 5 years old. She has led local students in a majority white region that believe they have no place in the story of race to step out of their bubble and start to see the reality.
• The Black Student Union at University of New Hampshire for guiding me and other white allies in moving out of our comfort zones and participating in direct action.
• My father (working to desegregate Rochester NY schools in the 60s), my kids (youth activists), and my SURJ Southern Maine/Seacoast chapter (showing up for racial justice) comrades
• Shay Stewart Bouley http://blackgirlinmaine.com/
• Ijeoma Oluo Oluowww.ijeomaoluo.com
• DiDi Delgado https://thedididelgado.com

Was there a particular event that inspired your passion for racial equity?
I feel like my passion for racial justice has been an ongoing evolution with several pivotal moments.

•  Finding my voice as a shy 11 year-old when I gave a speech about the civil rights era, it felt important enough to move me beyond self-consciousness.
• Going to college for sociology and graduate school for social work.
• Work experiences where I got to really know people of color and have insight into their experiences.
• Developing a close and authentic friendship with my friend Charmin, a Black woman, who discussed race and her experience with me more openly than anyone ever had, not hesitating to call me out when I had it wrong.
• Discovering the antiracism world and finding a framework as a white activist working toward racial justice and rediscovering my voice.

Are there any quotes that inspire you?
Through our collective liberation we will regain our shared humanity.

What is one change that you would like to see occur in Long Island?
I would like to see more white people care and take responsibility about the fact that they are living in one of the most segregated areas in the country and that their school systems are vastly inequitable. I would like to see them do the work to dismantle the systems and create a more racially just systems. I would like to see white people embrace the idea that inclusivity and exposure to people with differences is good for everyone.

What type of experiences and opportunities are you interested in participating in (e.g. volunteering, socials, lobbying, fundraising)? 

I would like to support the work of ERASE Racism in whatever ways they are able to use me. I am available for volunteer opportunities and have experience in education/public speaking, facilitating, fundraising and community engagement.