WKKF launches web-based, racial equity resource guide

BATTLE CREEK, Mich., April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) today announced the launch of its online racial equity resource guide. The web-based, interactive solution provides individuals and organizations with access to extensive learning materials, tools and data on racial inequities, their impact on communities of color and the process for healing racial wounds so that communities can work together across differences.

As part of WKKF's pioneering America Healing effort, the resource guide will share the collective insights, studies and tools of individuals and organizations that have been working to foster racial healing and racial equity in communities across the country. The guide, which lists hundreds of community organizations and experts on specific topics, is also a valuable asset for media outlets seeking to report on a wide range of topics related to racial equity.

The resource guide can be found at racialequityresourceguide.org. The practical resources include articles, organizations, studies, books, media strategies and training curricula for organizations and individuals working to achieve racial healing and equity in their communities.

"We are so pleased to offer this resource for the extended America Healing family of grantees and all those working for racial equity and to improve life outcomes for all children," said La June Montgomery Tabron, WKKF's president and CEO.  "This guide aggregates the leading practices in achieving racial equity from communities nationwide, allowing all of us to learn from one another's experiences and increase our effectiveness."

The website allows users to customize their own package of materials on specific topics that fit the needs of an individual or organization.  Users can start with a pre-made toolkit or build an entirely new one by filtering by areas of focus, issue areas or material type. After registering and customizing a toolkit, users have the option to save it or generate a PDF for downloading, printing and sharing.

For example, the resource guide includes materials from leading social justice organizations, such as:

• Opportunity Agenda's "Vision, Values & Voice: A Social Communications Toolkit." The toolkit offers communications tips and strategy, framing, messaging and media outreach guidance.
• Race Forward's "Moving the Race Conversation Forward." A research report that aims to reform the way we talk about race and racism in America today.
• The Southern Poverty Law Center's "Ten Ways to Fight Hate: A Community Response Guide." This guide lists and describes 10 ways to fight hate and cites examples (one from every state) of individuals and groups across the country tackling issues of intolerance.
• The Leadership Learning Community's "Leadership & Race: How to Develop and Support Leadership That Contributes to Racial Justice." A report that showcases how leadership programs can make their programs more accessible for people of color; help participants understand how race limits access to opportunities - in other words, the impact of structural racism; and promote collective leadership.

Joanne Krell, vice president of communications at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, said the resource guide is an example of how technology can be deployed to increase access to critical data and information.  "Our new resource guide will provide grantees, scholars and community leaders with materials that will make their work more effective. The bottom line is that we are hopeful that this technology will be a significant tool in the push for racial equity in America."

The research guide was unveiled today at the National Indian Child Welfare Association's (NICWA)annual meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

"NICWA's annual conference is a fantastic venue to introduce the availability of the resource guide," said Tabron. "NICWA is a national voice for American Indian children and families and the most comprehensive source of information on American Indian child welfare.  This resource guide contains materials documenting successes and challenges of the American Indian community, as well as information from other organizations that the participants at this conference can incorporate into their own work, further strengthening the racial healing and racial equity movement." 

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

About America Healing

WKKF launched America Healing in 2010 to support efforts that promote racial healing and address racial inequity, with the goal to ensure that all children in America have an equitable and promising future.

SOURCE W.K. Kellogg Foundation