Seeing The Constellation: Our 2020 Annual Report
In Ruth King's book, Mindful of Race: Transforming Racism from the Inside Out, she frames systemic racism, and the inability for some people to see it, as the difference between seeing stars and constellations. When you are looking at one moment, one star, you miss how those moments and the decisions that lead to them are interacting together and developing into an oppressive system. It is when you look at the macro level - of how different events have occurred until this moment - that you see the constellation - the pattern of oppression that must be changed by rebuilding our systems to be equitable and just.
We have been inspired by this analogy to take a broader look at the last year of our work. When we zoom out and frame our efforts alongside the work of our institutional partners and our community, we see the constellation. We see how all of these moments in time - these singular data points, programs, policies, and events - create a pattern of working together that pushes Racine towards systemic change. We see where we have transformed our efforts, and where we still have work to do. We are excited to share our year with you in this new, digital format:
Thank you to our community
It goes without saying that this has been a uniquely challenging year. We are proud of our community showing, once again, that we can have a greater impact when we work together to create change in our community. Despite the crisis we found ourselves in in 2020, our partners stayed committed to the long term work of creating systemic change. For that, we are both grateful for the support of our collective impact efforts, and encouraged to continue working to improve education and employment outcomes for students and their families. Together with Racine families, our partnership can create the conditions for equitable and just change that our community needs.
Thank you to our Leadership table
Dr. Bryan Albrecht - President, Gateway Technical College
Jonathan Delegrave - Racine County Executive
Joe Dillon - President/CEO, InSinkErator
Dr. Deborah Ford - Chancellor, UW-Parkside
Dr. Eric Gallien - Superintendent, Racine Unified Schools
Jackie Hallberg - President & CEO, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin
Brian French - Vice President, CNH Industries
Ali Haigh - President & CEO, United Way
Art Howell - Chief of Police, City of Racine
Andrea Kieman-Rognsvoog - Employer Solutions, Aurora Healthcare
Mario Martinez - Marz Insurance
Cory Mason - Mayor, City of Racine
Kristin Mcmanmon - CEO, AscensionAll Saints
Matt Montemurro - President, Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce
Tom Moore - Johnson Financial Group
Chris Ruud - President & CEO, Delta Hawk
Dr. John Swallow - President, Carthage College
Executive Committee
John Batten
Tom Burke
Johnathan Delegrave
Dr. Deborah Ford
Dr. Eric Gallien
Matt Montemurro
Jeff Neubauer
Ali Haigh
John Batten- President & CEO, Twin Disc
Tom Burke
Special Thank you to Police Chief Art Howell
The Higher Expectations leadership table and staff wanted to take time to thank Police Chief Art Howell for his 36 years with the Racine Police Department and congratulate him on his upcoming retirement. Chief Howell has shown a continued commitment to creating positive, long-lasting changes throughout Racine. His commitment and passion for the Racine Community is unparalleled. Thank you, Chief Howell, for your hard work to improve Racine for all its residents.
Links to more information
245 Individuals and Organizations Supported by the Community Cares Fund
62 Families Receive Rent Relief
18,110 Students started remote learning
200 Families have utilized the Here to Help Line each week
961 Families Access Internet Through RUSD, Community Comes Together to Increase WiFi Access
307 People Trained by Racial Equity Institute
Raising money to compensate community
4 Amazon Pallets donated
135 Parents & Caregivers receiving helpful texts
3 Parents learning advocacy
480 people learned more about the importance of Early Childhood Education
11 mothers start Two-Generation pilot with Ascension
280 Racine residents received their HSED or RUSD High School Diploma through expanded HSED program
3 Key supports for Post-Secondary Success identified by our HERA partners
14 Special Education teachers graduated from STAR and earn placements at RUSD
100 Teachers have received Continuous Improvement training
76.2% Racine County residents self-responded t0 the 2020 Census