A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Nonprofit leaders: Standing firm and united against racism and any acts that dehumanize people


As Northern Kentucky nonprofit leaders, we stand together against racism and denounce any acts that dehumanize people.

We are here to serve the entire community working to bridge the gap and meet basic human needs such as sheltering those that are experiencing homelessness, domestic and sexual violence, providing affordable housing, mental health services, intellectual/developmental disabilities services, drug and alcohol treatment, workforce development services and affordable childcare. We provide life-sustaining services with the goal of seeing all Northern Kentuckians thrive.

We understand that racism and inequity are structural and create barriers that prevent and hinder our most vulnerable citizens from accomplishing their American dream. This is unacceptable.

The current events have brought us together to begin a collective conversation, a dialogue around this issue. It has challenged us to look at our own organizations and have hard, critical conversations with our staff and the people we serve about how we can implement practices that are created through the lens of equity.

We are committed to creating organizations that practice anti-racism and are accessible and safe for people of color. We must acknowledge that racism exists in all areas of our communities. We are not immune and must be better equipped to work with all families.

We are committed to using our collective resources to create a platform to begin community conversations to help Northern Kentuckians process race and inequity and provide a safe space for tough conversations that will lead to real change within our communities.

We are committed to not letting the momentum of the moment die and to push the envelope and ask the hard questions. Through our work collectively we will see a more equitable community for all.

This is the beginning of our collective journey toward anti-racism and equity, there’s much more to come. We invite you to follow our series on how we are taking action in our organizations. We will share our truth and stories of racism, and our collective steps to work alongside each other and our communities to create systemic change. We hope you are inspired to challenge yourself to grow in your understanding of racial equity and find ways to contribute to community solutions.

Catrena Bowman-Thomas
Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission

Tammy Weidinger
Brighton Center

Jane Herms
Family Nurturing Center

Alecia Webb-Edgington
Life Learning Center

Tephra Fields
Family Promise of Northern Kentucky

William (Billy) Cole
Mentoring Plus

Chris Saunders
Mentoring Plus

Danielle Amrine
Welcome House of Northern Kentucky

Shannon Starkey-Taylor
Learning Grove

Judith G. Clabes
Northern Kentucky Tribune

Neil Leyshock
Welcome House of Northern Kentucky, Board Chair

Karen Zengel
St. Vincent de Paul NKY

James Duncan
Urban Outreach

David Hammers
Fairhaven Rescue Mission

If you are a nonprofit interested in joining with this movement, please contact Catrena Bowman-Thomas at cbowman-thomas@nkacac.org


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