Building an Inclusive Community Together
At the Decatur Education Foundation, we are dedicated to fostering an equitable, anti-racist, and inclusive environment in Decatur. Collaborating with community partners, we strive to support the transformation of our city. We recognize the challenges ahead and are committed to listening to and learning from those impacted by racism.
A Long Talk About The Uncomfortable Truth is an anti-racism experience designed by Kyle Williams and Kamal Carter. This inspiring program empowers participants to discover their voices and engage in activism. Introduced by the Decatur Education Foundation in 2021, the next Decatur cohort launches in March 2024. Reserve your spot today for this life-changing experience!
Our commitment to anti-racism is evident in our support for various educational initiatives in the City Schools of Decatur, including:
- We’re helping to nurture leadership and self-esteem through the Y.L.O.E. (Young Ladies Of Excellence) and G.E.N.T.S. (Gentlemen Excelling with the Necessary Tools for Excellence) clubs at Beacon Hill Middle School. And the Black Student Union provides a secure space for unity and community building.
- At Decatur High School, DEF’s Student Innovation Grants back projects like the Cultural Identity Appreciation Initiative from the Decatur Asian Student Union and the Jewish Student Union’s challah baking project. Additionally, the Fast Friends and Best Buddies clubs foster inclusive relationships for all students.
- And our Teacher Innovation Grants ensure diverse and inclusive environments through improved communication boards for neurodiverse students and a collection of diverse and inclusive literature across all elementary schools in CSD.
“As our nation’s attention has turned to the injustice that is a constant part of the lives of people of color, our community has also felt the impact of racism very close to home.
At DEF, we are processing how the current situation reflects the greater institutionalized racism in our city and our country. Over the past few years, DEF has committed funding to racial awareness training within our school system and, more recently, expanded our effort to include the broader Decatur community. With your help, we will increase our efforts to support that critical work and other anti-racist initiatives. We also acknowledge that we are long overdue to take a harder look at our own organization and our individual selves to see where we enable institutionalized racism to continue.
While we feel an urgency to act immediately, we also know that others have been doing this work consistently and relentlessly for some time. To that end, we seek to listen to the people of color within our community and across the nation, elevate those whose voices have been ignored and learn how we can address the inherent biases that may not be obvious to us.
We are committed to becoming an anti-racist organization and will work with community partners to help Decatur become an anti-racist city. We know that this work will be hard and long, and we are committed to start from a place of listening to and learning from those who live on the receiving end of racism.”
Adopted by the Decatur Education Foundation, 2020