[Aletha Maybank, Chief Health Equity Officer and Group Vice President, AMA] Centering the voices of those who are most marginalized and those who are experiencing
injustice, that is an equity that's also a justice strategy to say, we know we have
[January Webinar: Equitable Policy Opportunities for Health in 2021] excluded you, as institutions know, no matter how good intention we may have been, we are
clear based on your outcomes that you are not included in these conversations, you are
not included in the decision making processes. And we're going to do a better job to think
through when we have planning and program development, that it's not just that we're
going to engage the community. It's like, how are we having equal stakeholders with
those who live in our communities and are connected to the communities that we live?
That, to me is the basis of justice.
[Louise Dettman, Communications Specialist] Everybody loves to tell their story, everybody has a story. And I think people are flattered
when you engage them. [March Webinar: Telling your Challenge Story] And, you know, with the understanding that, you know, their story
is important. And it can help, you know, raise money to do this. For more people, it can
help bring attention to this issue, you know, whatever it is you need to do, you know, you're
collaborating with them to get the word out about this great thing.
[Sarah de Guia, Chief Executive Officer, ChangeLab Solutions] Like we're all experts in some way. And I think sometimes there's a tendency to, to
[April Workshop: Building Bridges, Earning Trust, and Shifting Power through Community Engagement] not to think of like community needs or community engagement is like not, there's
a level of expertise that they are not bringing to the table. But what I've actually found
is that community members themselves are like super experts in their own experiences and
in their neighborhoods, in their communities.
[Heather Murphy, Wilkes County Project Team Lead] It is becoming more normative, to even think about compensating people who are not professionals,
[June Affinity Session: Communications Follow Up and Fair Compensation for Resident Engagement] but whose expertise we want to tap into. And that there is tension between wanting to get
the information we need and limited budgeting to do that. But that that whole conversation
and how it relates to our values, and the equity we wish to achieve is a good conversation
to be having.
[Carmen Pulido, Executive Director, Go Austin/Vamos Austin] We need to recognize that we are doing our work in largely suboptimal conditions, less
[July Webinar: Sustaining Your Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge Work and Impact] than ideal, much less than ideal, with new sources of stress, and higher stakes. And
the the stakes of burnout are higher than they used to be. So we need to, you know,
Dream toward and organize toward the world that we want to live in. But we have to recognize
the world that we're in
[Michaela Oldfield, Cincinnati Project Team Lead] Community partnership building takes a huge amount of time. And if you want to create
[August Affinity Session: Sustaining the Challenge Work through Relationships: Continuing the Conversation] Sustainable community partnerships, you have to put in that time upfront, to figuring out
where your priorities match. And or whether you have insurmountable differences.
[Darryl Jackson, Paterson Project Team] Recognizing the difference in the response from the community, when you can be transparent
with them, um, I think is a great mix, it makes a great difference that sometimes may
[November Food Policy Council Ad Hoc] not be appreciated, especially when you have different agendas within the organization.
And sometimes you may not want to let certain things out or spill out into the public, but
just being as transparent as possible about what the plans are, from beginning to end
and how we're going to have to sustain it things like that, I think you get the best
response from the community.
[Soma Saha, Founder and Executive Lead, WE in the World, WIN Network] If we want to create a sense of belonging, we're the one like those who have privilege
[October Affinity Session: Communicating Across Differences to Build Connection and Belonging] and seats at the table are the ones who need to change. So that if we can create a space
that invites not just inclusion, but real belonging, but the understanding that we need
each other to get to,
to the place that's actually going to serve us all, well. Just being more aware of the
[Megan Greer, Collier County Project Team] The fear associated with being as vulnerable to say, I need to help feeding myself or my
[November Affinity Session: Strengthening Community Connections] kids, I think that's a really important thing to pay attention to. And that there that there's
a huge stigma involved in the in the fear around that but also that some parents fear
that they will lose their children if they tried to get help, because people will know
their kids aren't eating. And so I think that is a good reminder for us to push for universal
wherever it is and remove this completely where anybody who needs food gets it.
[Risa Wilkerson, Executive Director, Healthy Places by Design] Imagine a socially connected community where people know and trust their neighbors and
[September Webinar: Increasing Social Connection in Communities] people from different neighborhoods where they're motivated and supported through fair
processes and practices to be civically engaged where the structure policies and relationships
connect residents to important services, resources and inclusive spaces. And where people see
themselves in the design art options and practices represented and they feel welcomed in their
community.