Race Forward and NYU Metro Center, in partnership with other H.E.A.L. (Honest Education Action & Leadership) Together partners including the Schott Foundation, is offering a series of public virtual trainings for students, educators, and parents to fight for strong, equitable public schools and a multiracial democracy.

The H.E.A.L. Together initiative is a new project that partners with on-the-ground organizers to build power to counter the anti-CRT movement in our schools, better connect our communities, and advance a vision of justice that works for everyone.

The series, consisting of seven trainings total, is built to foster “shared understanding of what we’re up against, and equip people with the knowledge to build their own base and step up to the fights that are happening now, locally,” Race Forward’s Maria Smith Dautruche said.

The first training, “The Manufacturing of Culture Wars and Policies of Division,” was held yesterday, and covered how the present controversies over “critical race theory” are part of a much longer, coordinated attack on public schools by the far right. According to Race Forward’s James Haslam, hundreds of advocates from 46 states, DC and Puerto Rico were represented on the call. “We wanted to start with helping ground folks in what we’re up against,” Haslam said, “where these latest culture wars are coming from. It’s not an accident that a term that was obscure to most people, critical race theory, became a household word. It’s part of a long-term effort to undermine our public education system while also pitting people against each other.”

Watch the first training here:

The second training, to be held next Wednesday, focuses on practical narrative and messaging. This workshop will help participants identify, navigate, and overcome the politics of division by examining the narratives used to attack public education and explore narratives that can unify our communities across the lines used to divide us.

In planning for these trainings, H.E.A.L. Together members surveyed dozens of groups across the country to learn what information and tools were most needed.

Smith Dautruche said one of goals of this series, and the H.E.A.L. Together initiative generally, is to build grassroots community power that will last far beyond the present storm of controversies. If the initiative succeeds, “we’ll see these durable, sustainable, multi-racial organizations across multiple issues.”

See the full list of trainings and sign up here.

We at Schott are proud partners in this work, spearheading grantmaking efforts to directly provide resources to groups on the ground who are putting these trainings into practice. Learn more about our H.E.A.L. Together grants here, and other funders looking to participate can get in touch with Schott SVP of Development Lauren Hadi.