LOS ANGELES – Working professionals representing organizations committed to deepening their commitments to racial and economic justice are invited to apply to the California Reinvestment Coalition’s 2022 Racial and Economic Justice (REJ) Cohort, a training program meant to help undue the unequal distribution of wealth in California and address the power structures that perpetuate structural racism. Applications are open until Feb. 21.
In this highly interactive training program, selected cohort members meet several times throughout the year for skill-building workshops and receive personalized development plans tailored to their personal and organizational goals for the year. Additional special training sessions are also available to cohort members.
“We’re delighted at the success of our first cohort, and we’re excited to offer this incredibly relevant training for a second year,” said CRC Executive Director Paulina Gonzalez-Brito. “We know that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities have been historically excluded from wealth-building opportunities. The racially-biased rollout of the PPP loan program is one of many more recent examples of how capital is inaccessible to many communities of color. By advocating at the intersection of racial and economic equity, leaders can challenge the legacy of white supremacy embedded in our financial system. The Racial and Economic Justice program is one way CRC continues to support our allies and promote a more just and equitable economy.”
The program equips cohort members with the analysis, language, tools, and resources to activate their organizations in support of racial and economic justice.
“Through a deeply personal reflective practice, participants connect their own lived experience to how they approach leadership,” said CRC Bay Area Organizer Aliyah Shaheed, who will be facilitating the workshops. “This program affords cohort members the opportunity to conduct both inner and intra-personal work.”
“The Cohort offers learnings and teachings, but also, through a peer-to-peer system, it helps make us accountable to ourselves and to each other,” said 2021 REJ cohort participant Shashi Hanuman. “This space has provided me with access to the tools to further examine and evaluate our work in community development with an intentional racial justice lens. And it has reinforced my own very deep and personal connection to this work.”
Launched in spring 2021, the program’s first cohort included participants from 14 organizations, including the Center for Responsible Lending, Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, and Unite A Nation.
The program is geared toward senior and mid-senior leaders at organizations that align with CRC’s mission and values, but all are welcome to apply.
Applications are due by Feb. 21. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of the month, with the cohort expected to begin in early March.
Apply Today
About the California Reinvestment Coalition
The California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) builds an inclusive and fair economy that meets the needs of communities of color and low-income communities by ensuring that banks and other corporations invest and conduct business in our communities in a just and equitable manner. CRC’s 300 organizational members include multi-service agencies, affordable housing developers, housing and financial capability counselors, tenants’ rights and legal aid organizations, small business technical assistance providers, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), small farm incubators, immigrant service organizations, and other community-serving organizations located throughout California. We envision a future in which people of color and low-income people live and participate fully and equally in financially healthy and stable communities without fear of displacement and have the tools necessary to build household and community wealth.
Media Contact:
Brian Maxey, 559-286-7705, bmaxey@calreinvest.org
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