News

By Dr. Kush K. Bhardwaj
Director of Racial Equity and Justice
 
In the span of four short days last week, The Race Power and Privilege (RPP) Program completed an outstanding week of five distinct trainings and community engagements throughout Buffalo.

On Wednesday March 20, Open Buffalo’s Executive Director, Franchelle Parker, Deputy Director, Max Anderson, and Dr. Kush K. Bhardwaj, Director of Racial Equity and Justice, presented closing findings and recommendations to Community Services for Every1at their Oak Street headquarters in Downtown Buffalo. The meeting with the leadership team of Community Services was the final part of the unique and comprehensive RPP five-step training and assessment process. Since September 2023, selected staff and management of Community Services underwent the intensive RPP process, and the dialogue with Open Buffalo included findings and recommendations for moving the agency forward with the development and application of an anti-racist framework.

Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22 saw the RPP Team traveling north up the I-190 to deliver a modified RPP program to the Senior Class of Niagara Falls High School (NFHS). The students were engaged in a two-day training which allowed them to discuss and share very personal life challenges in a group setting. The type of safe space created by the facilitators compelled the Wolverines to explore concepts involving racism, privilege, allyship, and mentoring in ways they never had before. The visit marked the second straight year NFHS underwent the RPP training in separate sessions for both their faculty and students. Parker and Bhardwaj conducted a modified NFHS staff professional development session of RPP for the second straight year one month earlier (February 20).

In the late afternoon on Friday, March 22, Dr. Bhardwaj was a featured speaker at a protest/rally against Gov. Kathy Hochul’s possible underfunding of Medicaid. The M.C. for both stages was NAACP Buffalo Chapter President Rev. Mark Blue. The protestors marched from Lafayette Square to Niagara Square and had speakers at the beginning of the march, including NYS Assembly Majority Leader Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes.  Shouting slogans and honking their horns, the group made it to Niagara Square, where at the main stage, Bhardwaj was joined by Buffalo Common Councilmember Zeneta Everhart, NYS Sen. Sean Ryan and a few others. The cold wind and snowy day did not dampen the spirit of the protestors, who came to sharply oppose the underfunding of Medicaid. Such underfunding contributes to poor health outcomes largely in the Black and Latino communities, particularly affecting low-income seniors, expectant mothers, young children from low-income families, and people with disabilities. Some 43 percent of children in the city of Buffalo live in poverty, many of whom rely on Medicaid health insurance for their care.

The exciting week culminated in Bhardwaj conducting a modified RPP session with the brilliant young ladies of the Zeta Youth Auxiliary on Saturday, March 23. Comprised of the Zeta Amicettes (ages 9 – 13) and the Zeta Archonettes (ages 14 – 18), the group enjoyed a riveting seminar involving Race, Power, Privilege and how to empower oneself in the face of daunting intersectional oppression. At the behest of self-described “Community Servant” Mrs. Fredericka Barton-Harris (Kappa Upsilon Zeta Chapter Advisor and E-bike Ambassador), Bhardwaj intentionally motivated the group of young ladies to become socially aware and to create tools to battle various forms of oppression.

Open Buffalo’s RPP Anti-Racism Training and Assessment Program continues to impact agencies and communities throughout Western New York. To find out if the RPP process is right for you or your institution, please contact us at info@openbuffalo.org.