10.30.24
Racial Equity
News

Supporting child care, workers and cultural traditions

Racial Equity

Valarie Kaur’s Revolutionary Love Project brought its 45-city bus tour to Battle Creek, Michigan, promoting love as a force for justice and racial healing. The event, supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Battle Creek Coalition for Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation, offered a space for community reflection through music, storytelling and meditation. Kaur, a member of WKKF’s Solidarity Council on Racial Equity, toured across the country through the end of October. She aims to inspire a multiracial democracy by reclaiming spaces of trauma and encouraging a radical ethic of love to heal divisions.

Policy

The SEMI Foundation and the Policy Equity Group started a new collaboration with semiconductor companies to help address child care challenges facing the industry. With support from WKKF, they will work with early childhood education leaders in Arizona, Ohio and Michigan to strengthen local child care systems, support employers in creating effective child care benefits and increase access to high-quality, affordable child care. This initiative will help semiconductor companies meet child care requirements under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act while addressing the needs of the growing semiconductor workforce in these key states.

Health 

Kimberly Evans Novod, founder of WKKF grantee Saul’s Light, has been named a 2024 Angel Award honoree by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Foundation. Saul’s Light supports families with babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Babies might stay in NICUs for weeks or months, which often results in emotional and financial stress. With Louisiana ranking among the highest for infant mortality and preterm births, the organization addresses a critical need. 

New Orleans

WKKF grantee TrainingGrounds is bridging language and cultural gaps to help Spanish-speaking families access early childhood education and services. In collaboration with other local nonprofits, the organization hosted a first-of-its-kind resource fair, connecting families directly with Spanish-speaking representatives from key groups like NOLA Public Schools and Agenda for Children. As the Spanish-speaking community continues to grow in New Orleans, TrainingGrounds is empowering these families with essential resources and knowledge to foster their children’s future success. 

Mexico

As reported on MSN.com, Indigenous master textile artisans from the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, presented their beautiful woven and embroidered apparel in Jeonjun, South Korea, last month. They were there with WKKF grantee NGOImpacto, which was invited to participate in a tourism forum promoting intangible – or living – cultural heritage, which includes traditional practices, knowledge and craftsmanship. The Kellogg Foundation supports NGOImpacto’s efforts to increase income of Indigenous artisan women and their families by strengthening entrepreneurial skills, supporting market access and advocating for the recognition of the cultural significance of Indigenous textiles.