Building awareness about race and ethnicity. That's the goal of an annual effort in the Rochester area called Stand Against Racism, which is trying to encourage more conversations about issues revolving around race.
This year one of the areas the effort organized by the YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County is focusing on has to do with the challenges facing women of color, particularly as they try to break through the glass ceiling in the job market.
Cindy Langston is a Vice President at Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield. She praises efforts by her employer to provide equal opportunities, and says she has seen some progress on that front overall, in trying to educate organizations and businesses about the issue.
“At the YWCA I’ve been a part of it. We have several programs, person to person, some of our unconscious bias programs that really help organizations understand how to break that barrier, how to eliminate racism within their organization and most importantly, how to empower women.”
Jean Carroll is President and CEO of the YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County. She says there has been some progress toward these efforts, but it will take participation by a number of people and organizations to change what had been the status quo.
“Recognizing that this is an issue that is not going to go away unless each of us, on an individual basis, addresses our own unconscious biases and begin to have dialogues across race and ethnicity.”
Stand Against Racism will culminate with an event to be held April 12th at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.
