The Moreno Valley based Center Against Racism and Trauma, also known as CART, is hosting the Inland Empire’s first annual anti-racism summit next week. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson has more on what attendees can expect.
From the start of the virtual event set for the evening of March 17, attendees will be invited to take action against racism in their own lives and communities says CART founder and director Corey Jackson.
“Everyone has a part to play. And we realize especially after the murder of George Floyd so many people were wondering, what exactly can I do about it?" says Jackson. "You don’t have to hit the streets to be a part of the movement. There are things you can do in your own personal life, in your own personal social circles to be a part of this movement.”
As the region’s only anti-racist institution, CART was founded after the death of George Floyd with the mission of starting the Inland Empire’s own movement tailored to the issues of racism the community here deals with.
The summit’s keynote speaker will be Ibram X. Kendi, the award-winning author and scholar of the best-seller How to Be an Anti-racist.
It was important to Jackson and the summit’s planning committee to also host a panel of local scholars to show that the Inland region already has the capacity to find solutions to racism.
“Our hope is to get people connected, and to understand that they are not alone, that they are a part of a greater struggle," says Jackson. "And just by participating in the summit, they are getting connected to a greater struggle in the Inland Empire.”
Already over 600 people are registered for the event, which shows Jackson people are yearning to connect and be a part of the solution.
To learn more, visit CART’s website at destroyracism.org/events.