February 2023 Newsletter

This month (and every month), we celebrate the lives, legacies, and stories of Black people who have made great contributions to our country, our sport, our style, our music, our science, our education, and much more.

Did you know that the RIDC is a Black-led organization? 🕺🏿

Gather around, folx, we have a lot in store this month, and we'll be sharing it all on our LinkedIn, Instagram, and website.

Click the link below for some resources to get started.

Kiera Smalls
Executive Director, The RIDC

Link to full March Newsletter here!

Podcasts, Articles, and Events

Kiera Smalls: Be Mindful of the Stories We Tell Ourselves on Running for Real podcast - "Three years ago, Ahmaud Arbery, a young Black man, was murdered while he was out for a run. That was the catalyst for the formation of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC), which envisions a running industry committed to racial justice. Its goals are embodied by its Executive Director, Kiera Smalls, whose personal mission is to connect resources to the people who need them most."

Embracing Hard History Isn’t The Problem. It Just Might Be The Antidote For Difficult Racial Conversations by Dana Brownlee for Forbes - "Too many completely misunderstand why Black history is critically important for antiracism progress. They view Black History month as a time to learn about a new Black inventor or perhaps learn some Black trivia, but they don’t make the connection between the history and our race-based challenges today or use the history to fundamentally reframe discussions around systemic racism and persistent racial disparities."

5 DEI Trends To Retire In 2023 by Teresa Hopke for Forbes - "Unfortunately, due to the economic uncertainty that so many businesses (and individuals) are facing, and in an attempt to recession-proof the company, reducing DEI efforts has become a go-to solution–especially when an organization views DEI as a 'nice to have' versus it being a business imperative. However, the answer doesn't necessarily have to be taking resources away from DEI efforts, but to instead be more intentional about how to execute DEI in the new year."

PYNRS with Sidney Baptista | Championing Community, Culture, and Diversity with Technical Run Apparel for REI - "The most important thing about ownership to me is generational wealth,” Baptista says, and his ability to overcome the historic discrepancy between white and Black family income."

Locating Ourselves in the White Racial Identity Journey by AWARE (Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere) - February 25: "White people are increasingly aware of racial injustice in the US and tend to experience and express predictable reactions. A common theme is that in our effort to be 'good' antiracists we often behave in ways that unintentionally do harm. We can avoid some pitfalls by recognizing the patterns of racial identity development and where we fit within them. This workshop offers an overview of an expanded version of Janet Helms’ white identity development model and invites us to self-reflect on our own journey and consider how to support others to move forward on theirs." (See attached flyer for more information).