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Stand Against Racism wants to start conversations on race and ethnicity

standagainstracism.org

An annual event in Rochester wants to raise awareness about the negative impact of institutional and structural racism in our communities.

Stand Against Racism runs through the month of April and is organized by the YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County

The event will work with a number of schools, houses of worship, government agencies and other organizations to promote inclusive and proactive conversations about race in Rochester.

Jean Carroll, President and CEO of the YWCA  says racism and segregation can be found in a number of forms.

"If you had the choice of sending your child to city schools or sending them to a school in Irondequoit, what would you choose? Even if the level of violence such as attacks are not there as much, there is what we call structural racism that is in place."

Carroll said the event has been happening in Rochester for about 8 years now, but holds certain significance with the current political climate.

"The way that the pot has been stirred in a way with a lot of blaming going on; blaming of others for the way that the economy is, for the frustrations that people feel."

People are quick to point a finger before looking for ways to work together and solve problems as a community, Carroll said, and that this event is intended to encourage and initiate conversations on how we can better fix that.

Organizations can host a Stand event by signing up online.

The Stand Against Racism effort wraps up with a conference and a series of workshops at the end of the April. It will culminate with a breakfast and conference event on April 28 at the Radisson Hotel Rochester Riverside. WXXI is also a sponsor of that event.