My childhood in a middle-class, white family provided privileges often not available to others, as I discovered when exposed to societal inequity as a young adult. 

Racial inequity became real to me while living in Birmingham, Alabama, in the early 1980’s. I was confronted with my own very mistaken biased views of African Americans when I became immersed in their culture by going into the real estate appraisal business with an African American man, who had been one of the first four people to integrate Birmingham high schools. As an appraiser who made appointments to assess the value of a client’s home, my partner was often refused entry to the property once the homeowner saw him. His work was also scrutinized much more closely than mine by regulatory agencies. When out socially, physical violence was threatened against us and on several occasions I was called “n**** lover” when just carrying out day to day activities. 

I felt like something should be done.

Then, later in life, the many societal inequities children can suffer were revealed to me while caring for over 100 foster children. 

I saw the effects of homelessness, hunger, sexual, emotional and physical abuse and neglect, and being parented by parents who did not have the ability or support needed to effectively parent them. I began parenting the most difficult of these-therapeutic foster children who had significant mental health/behavioral issues.

I adopted a baby who had entered my family in the throes of crack and heroin withdrawal at four weeks of age. At this point, I was immersed in many types of inequities- a huge discrepancy in services, diagnosis, and treatments of individuals of color in the medical, educational and mental health arenas. 

She is my warrior. Despite tremendous inequities in supports and having diagnoses of a brain injury at birth, Autism, serious mental health challenges, Diabetes and a myriad of other physical health issues she has become an amazing young adult.

I knew something had to be done.

The experiences with my daughter led to the decision to change careers in order to assist others with mental health and other disabilities. I earned a graduate degree in vocational counseling, have worked in that field for 15 years, and currently manage a department in a non-profit organization that assists individuals with mental health disabilities prepare for, obtain, and maintain employment in the community.

The impetus for creating Equity Matters was my participation in a leadership training program, Change Agent Leadership Laboratory (CALL) at Hope Springs Institute. As part of this three year program, I was encouraged and inspired to develop a project to bring about systemic societal change. A powerful benefit of the CALL program is participation in a student cohort of individuals with diverse backgrounds, which provided me with unexpected acceptance, growth, and healing. 

Equity Matters uses a similar cohort model as an integral part of the program, and in addition to providing needed resources, will help parents develop a sense of community, recognize their unique gifts and potential, and experience a sense of healing that will allow them to reach their dreams while breaking the cycle of generational trauma and poverty.

As a result, Equity Matters aims to address multiple types of inequity in a manner that not only provides needed resources but also assists participants to work together in a comprehensive manner to foster societal equity.