This is our big chance. This is the moment where we can help control whether the pandemic – and its misery, disruption, and pain – drags on indefinitely or ends. And it’s the moment where we can shape a better future, too.
How? By helping to build trust.
First, we need to tackle the most urgent point: we can’t get to a new normal until everyone takes the vaccine. While vaccine availability is spreading rapidly, many communities don’t trust it -- including communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and have endured a history of medical harm.
Then we have to consider the future. How did we even get to this point of distrust? And how can we fundamentally reset the ways we work to create a society built on shared trust?
As changemakers, we are uniquely positioned to leverage our relationships with our communities to build bridges toward a healthier and racially just future. Our opportunity – and our responsibility – is to make a case that the media, government, and private sector simply can’t.
On March 30 at 2:00 pm ET – with doctors, organizers, artists, wellness experts – your invited to an Upswell Pop-Up about the The Vital Intersection of Trust and Racial Equity. Together, we'll explore immediately actionable strategies that you can use to in your community to lay the groundwork for a trusting tomorrow.
Trust, COVID-19, and the Role of Civil Society: An honest conversation about what nonprofits, philanthropy, and community-led organizations can and must do to build trust.
Using Poetry as Self-Care: Explore how our words and voices can create a direct pathway to individual and collective healing.
Building Bridges Where There Were Barriers: Learn how community members partnered with academic researchers to build trust and advance strategies that ensure children and youth can thrive as we recover.
Laying Foundations of Trust: Find out how centering safety and cultural humility through a trauma-informed, resilience-oriented approach can build the trust foundational to an equitable recovery.
Dr. Utibe R. Essien, MD, MPH, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
Dr. Rami Nashashibi, Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN)
Dan Cardinali, Independent Sector
Kristina Gawrgy, Independent Sector
Alyesha Wise, Street Poets, Inc.
Matthew ‘Cuban’ Hernandez, Street Poets, Inc
Francisco “BusStop Prophet” Escamilla, Street Poets Inc.
Felicia Savage, YogaRoots On Location, LLC
Dr. Liz Miller, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Shallegra Moye, Brilliantly Blessed Community Health and Wellness
Dr. Jamil Bey, UrbanKind Institute
Nkem Ndefo, Lumos Transforms
Traci Bivens-Davis, MA, Intervention Trainer
Tina Binda, MA, LMFT, TEAMMATES
Upswell, powered by Independent Sector, is a community of thousands of engaged, passionate, and diverse changemakers – and the energy is constantly buzzing.
Join our digital stream to hear the latest news about Upswell 2020, explore stories of good from across the country, and get a new perspective on what comes next for the social sector.