news and updates
Home Away from Home "Free Meal & Free Stuff" Distribution on Saturday, December 11
equity arcata’s Home Away From Home working group will host a meal and “free stuff” distribution for local college students on Saturday, December 11 at the D Street Neighborhood Center in Arcata.
after hearing that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students often feel unwelcome or even unsafe in Arcata, equity arcata’s Home Away from Home Working Group was formed to help build a bridge between college students and the broader community. throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Home Away from Home volunteers have supported students safely by hosting physically-distant meal and household supply distributions, with the working group’s COVID-19 distributions in 2020 and 2021 providing meals and goods for 770 local college students.
in order to support the needs of the students, Home Away From Home is seeking “free stuff” donations from non-student members of the community. donations of new and unused supplies including non-perishable food items, gift cards to local grocery stores and restaurants, laundry and dish detergent, sponges, paper towels, cleaning supplies, disinfectant wipes, and toiletries including soap, shampoo, conditioner, menstrual supplies and toilet paper.
community members who wish to make a donation may drop them off at the City Manager’s Office inside Arcata City Hall, located at 736 F Street. Arcata City Hall is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and face coverings are required when entering the building. *please note that donations of opened or partially-used items, unclean goods, and items not mentioned in the list above cannot be accepted. Donations will be accepted until Friday, December 10 at 5 pm. For more information on making a donation, please call 707-825-2174 or email equityarcata@gmail.com.
Home Away from Home’s upcoming distribution will take place outside at the D Street Neighborhood Center, located at 1301 D Street in Arcata, on Saturday, December 11 from 3 to 4 PM. The distribution will take place rain or shine, and all local college students are invited to pick up a free prepackaged meal and household supplies. Vegetarian and meat meal options will be available, and catering will be provided by Taquería La Barca. students are urged not to come if they are feeling sick and all COVID-19 safety protocols in place must be followed, including wearing a face covering and social distancing. proof of college enrollment is also required.
this distribution was made possible thanks to generous funding provided by the North Coast Co-op’s Cooperative Community Fund. for more information, please call 707-825-2174 or email equityarcata@gmail.com.
equity arcata's Fall Book Club
equity arcata's community book club is exploring Heather McGee’s book, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, and will be facilitated by equity arcata’s Ongoing Learning Working Group members Ron White, Meridith Oram and Janaee’ Sykes.
the book club meets from 4-6 pm on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month, and remaining book club dates are: Monday, December 6 and Monday, December 20. for more information or if you want to join the conversation, please send us an email at equityarcata@gmail.com or call 707-822-5953. we would like to thank Coast Central Credit Union for generous funding that provided book club participants with free books so they could participate in these conversations.
check out these videos on topics related to the book featuring author Heather McGee:
Additional Ongoing Learning Opportunities for the Community
equity arcata’s Ongoing Learning Working Group is excited to offer the community opportunities to engage in conversations surrounding racial equity.
members of the community who identify as white are invited to participate in equity arcata’s virtual Whiteness Accountability Space held every Thursday from 12 to 1 pm and on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. the purpose of holding this space is to mitigate harm caused to BIPOC community members when white people participate in conversations on these topics in diverse spaces. these weekly conversations are led by white facilitators who are members of the equity arcata collective. to participate, please email equityarcata@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Welcoming Businesses Working Group Meetings Open to All
join a Welcoming Businesses Working Group meeting to learn more about creating a more equitable and inclusive work environment. business owners, HR professionals, managers and employees are all welcome to join. welcoming businesses working group meetings take place the third Wednesday of each month from 4:30 to 5:30 pm. to participate, please email chuckjpowell@gmail.com for the Zoom link. if you are looking for workplace ongoing learning resources for businesses, please click here.
State of the City of Arcata
Humboldt State University student members of the equity arcata collective presented at the Arcata Chamber of Commerce’s virtual State of the City of Arcata event on Tuesday, February 9. to view a recording of the presentation, please click here.
are you looking for ways to support the local Black community? check out the organizations below:
are you looking for ways to support the local Indigenous community? check these links out:
equity arcata collective statement on COVID-19
as COVID-19 spreads and the public health emergency intensifies, equity arcata calls on local governments and institutional leaders to pay special attention to the impact that this disease and their response to its spread may have on people of color.
we call for an approach that provides accurate information and advances policies based on science. we call on decision-makers to act with compassion and provide comprehensive medical and social services for those most vulnerable to exposure. we are all only as safe as those members of our community who are most at risk.
Race Forward’s statement on racialized disparities reminds us:
“while we know that anyone can contract the virus, we also know that the impacts on communities of color could be severe. people of color are disproportionately likely to be in low-paying or hourly-wage jobs that make them unable to provide care or interrupt work. they are also more likely to have limited access to affordable healthcare, childcare, and transportation. people of color are more likely to face unsanitary conditions inside prisons, jails, and detention centers. funding disparities in communities of color have led to hospital closures; shortages of frontline doctors and nurses; higher incidences of chronic conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease; housing overcrowding; and lack of quality elder care.” in Humboldt County, we see this applies especially to our Native and immigrant residents.
historically, government responses to urgent health concerns have been shaped by implicit and explicit bias. this public emergency has already harmed Chinese and Asian American community members through increased acts of bigotry and discrimination. emergency planning must consider that health inequities and racialized fears may exacerbate infection rates through the misallocation of time and resources, creating additional impacts and problems to solve.
equity arcata strongly urges all leaders and decision-makers to actively dispel myths and racist misinformation, and to collectively work to create a system-wide response needed to end the spread of this communicable disease. local leaders must address the needs of the most marginalized populations in our community while stamping out stigma and blame. all of our health security is at stake.
*adapted from Race Forward Statement on the Coronavirus Emergency, Official Response and its Impacts on Communities of Color, www.raceforward.org.
please click here to find COVID-19 resources.
please click here to read our housing working group’s open letter to landlords & property managers
to help Humboldt State University students experiencing food insecurity as a result of COVID-19, our home away from home working group is raising funds to benefit HSU’s Oh SNAP! student food program. please click here to learn more about Oh SNAP! and how the program is providing students safe access to culturally appropriate and nutritious food. please click here to make a donation to this much-needed program.
for more information regarding equity arcata, send us an email at equityarcata@gmail.com. or call 707-822-5953.
