Topics: Unpacking what we mean by “safe communities” in the context of public safety, exploring the historical context of systemic racism on the creation and location of communities in the U.S., using a Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) change framework to think about how to create safe and healthy communities.
Description: Communities are the backbone of our social system, and ideally, provide a safe place for people to live, work, and play. Yet the history of systemic racism in America illustrates how BIPOC communities were not only built to be segregated but have continued to experience harm disproportionately to white communities. This begs the question: what does a “safe” community look like, especially for people of color? And how can we center the conversation around health equity? In this two-day training, the trainers will first examine the history of racist housing policy in the United States, emphasizing the intentional disenfranchisement of Black and Brown communities and the implications for our health and racial equity work. They will then move into deeper, heart-space questions about our communities, and how we might imagine them differently. What are ways you can plug in to create changes? How can we use a Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) change framework to build safe and healthy communities that are designed by the people that live there? Participants should come prepared to dig creatively into some deeper questions about safety and resiliency.
Audience: Coalition leaders, multi-sector partners and members leading conversations in their communities and coalitions.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to:
Trainers: Gina Rodriguez, Lauren Bard, and Jasper Lee, Health Resources in Action
MA DPH Coalition Criteria Addressed: