Contra Costa County has a great deal of amazing smaller nonprofit organizations working towards social change and racial equity for low income and marginalized communities and priority will be given to black and brown led organizations. Uplifting the voices of impacted families and the organizations that serve them is crucial.

The focus will be on bringing these organizations together to address these main areas:

• Policing policies and accountability 

• Creating and sustaining culturally relevant events and programs for families and children through art and educational programs.

• Teaching and cultivating grassroots organizing for low income communities to empower them to advocate for programs in schools and communities that promote racial and cultural sensitivity, diversity and inclusion.

This project will also incorporate peacekeeping/De-escalation/security training for rallies and events, create a website to inform the public and offer ways to engage and participate, and most importantly ask for assistance when needed. 

We will also be offering a healing component to this project.We will be providing participants from each organization who are on the front lines of the social justice movement opportunities to reflect, engage and heal with each other through a series of day retreats. The retreats will be facilitated by two amazing practitioners Itzel Barrio Hayward with Attuned Living and Jan Passion with Sail Hokahey. The retreats with Itzel will offer one-on-one energy healing sessions and group deep relaxation sessions along with teaching folks about the effects of stress and equipping them with some practices that they can do on their own.

The retreats facilitated by Jan Passion will be on his boat in the San Francisco Bay, giving the participants an opportunity to decompress and work through the trauma that can come with being engaged in front line social justice work. Jan Passion has lead international peace workin war torn countries, Jan was a psychotherapist working with perpetrators and victims of various forms of violence and trauma. His dedication to healing and addressing trauma is profound. In order to facilitate these vital services we will need to provide funding for childcare for the participants as well. Receiving this grant will allow us to provide necessary services to the coalition so we may all continue to serve those who need us most. 

Each participating organization brings an abundance of knowledge and strengths in specific areas, and when working together we hope to be able to provide the county a place to learn, ask for assistance and mobilize. 

Participating Organizations thus far:

The Miles Hall Foundation, Concord Community Alliance, Reimagine Antioch, Stop Cop Campus San Pablo.