Equity4hc

Our organization is applying for The Elevate Prize because we have created a national model to address systemic inequities which we believe answers the Elevate Prize challenge in a bold and innovative way. Our project addresses systemic inequities caused by exclusive ownership of and access to resources. We will address the issue by establishing a collaborative community that will allow disadvantaged groups that have been historically excluded from full participation in the economy to maximize wealth building and ownership opportunities. A multi-prong community development model that integrates services for promoting equity will be implemented to benefit targeted stakeholders in the community. By opening a community development center known as Columbia Community Care Peace & Justice Center (CCCPJC), service areas would consist of food and farming, health and wellness, workforce development and training, and education, mentorship and apprenticeship. If awarded the Elevate Prize, we will use the funds as seed funding for the implementation of our model.

Equity4hc was founded in 2018 by educators determined to find a solution to the disproportionality exhibited in The Howard County Public School System’s (HCPSS) data. Our team is composed of experientially relevant, talented, focused, and insightful experts who have spent decades demonstrating their ability to impact communities through vehicles of advocacy, educational promotion, economic empowerment, community organizing, and activism. We have established partnerships with various influential community organizations who are in alignment with our vision. We have already activated thousands of volunteers to feed over 100,000 community members through Columbia Community Care (CCC) and engaged residents and other local organizations to support policy initiatives for safer schools and comprehensive learning for marginalized students. We are already implementing pilot programs in education and food and farming and we have been recognized on state and local levels for our work.

Equity4hc is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to address systemic inequities caused by exclusive access to and ownership of resources. Our work is rooted in making systemic shifts through education, policy, and programs. The population impacted by our project is residents at or below the poverty line in Columbia. 43.9% of the total poverty line population is Black while only accounting for 25.7% of the total population in Columbia. As our resources reflect, this demographic’s statistics produces the same negative outcomes in each area our model outlines because of access to resources and ownership. The problem -inequitable access to resources and ownership- still exists in the current environment because of systemic inequities perpetuated by institutionalized racism that have historically excluded disadvantaged populations from participating in the economy in a meaningful way. Even the integrated community plan James Rouse developed for Columbia, Maryland in 1963 could not withstand the deeply ingrained institutionalized racism. Therefore, James Rouse’s plan produced the same outcomes as mainstream America. While we are working locally, this problem effects the entire country and limits our collective efforts toward racial equity and a healthier world, globally.

Our approach is different from existing methods and practices because it rethinks the social, economic, and environmental development of communities. Using the community development center (CCCPJC), we will incorporate agricultural urbanism (utilizing food systems in the shaping of communities) into our plan for collaborative ownership. This project is unique and creative because it utilizes basic needs as the building block of sustainable development for families and communities. By implementing our three-phase, multi-prong model, we are able to progressively address the determination of equitable outcomes. With community-based ownership, decision making uniquely reflects the needs associated with workforce development, health & wellness, and education.

Our organization is having an impact on humanity by centering the voices of the community that have traditionally been excluded, reimagining solutions for racial equity, and shifting from an exclusive ownership model to a community ownership model. Our intended pathway to impact is through a three-phased, multi-prong approach which includes programs and services relating to: food and farming; health and wellness; workforce education and training; and education, mentorship and apprenticeship. Phase 1 will include a needs assessment, a feasibility study, expansion of current programming through the acquisition of (CCCPJC) and allow for training and foundational knowledge in each multi-prong area. Phase 2 will transition program participants into the practical application of their skills, particularly focusing on development and installation of Columbia’s own microgrid. Phase 3 will focus on developing Columbia’s own water infrastructure and transitioning program participants into long term upward socio-economic mobility with shared ownership in community resources. We know our approach is effective because we have already engaged our community through grassroots efforts and our team has studied multiple successful community development models (e.g. Nick Wates' Community Design Center and Iowa State University's agricultural urbanism model) that we can adapt to our local community.