NORTHWEST OHIO YWCA HOSTS CONVERSATION ABOUT RACE AS PART OF ITS “STAND AGAINST RACISM” INITIATIVE

More than 200 people attended a lecture by renowned educator and anti-racist activist Jane Elliott as part of the YWCA’s Stand Against Racism, an event held late in April on the campus of the University of Toledo Medical Center. Elliott looked back over the past 50 years since her famous brown eyes-blue eyes experiment that focused on the impact of discrimination and prejudice with her third-grade students at an Iowa elementary school.Panelists from the community added a local perspective on the issue during a lunchtime discussion that featured Dr. Kent Bishop, Promedica’s chief medical officer; Donna Seed, director of social services with Lucas Country Children Services; and Demetra Simpson, CEO of Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority. The Reverend John Jones, community liaison with Promedica’s Social Determinants of Health initiative, moderated the discussion.Doris Tolliver from the Annie E. Casey Foundation discussed a national child welfare strategy as part of the afternoon’s program.Lisa McDuffie, YWCA president and CEO, and Dr. Willie McKether, VP of diversity and inclusion at the University of Toledo, concluded the day’s discussion with a call to action and closing remarks.