The People Speak: Forward Movement Now

The collective voice of the Blacks/African Americans in Utah, without formal written agenda, but through action, adopted a three-pronged approach:

STAND TOGETHER, BUILD ALLIANCES and MOVE FORWARD.

In one collective voice, this roundtable seeks change in the following areas:

Education

Issue: Black students lag at significant rates both in pre-k through 12th grades, and at the
post-secondary /higher education levels. This initiative focuses on increasing completion and graduation rates at all levels of the education system

Community & Economic Development

Issue: This initiative is focused on building communities with affordable healthy food options, viable transportation and safe environments to live, play and work. It will also provide avenues for entrepreneurship training and business opportunities.

Political Action

Issue: There are few blacks and people of color in policy making positions in the state, which makes it more difficult for Black Utah’s specific concerns to be heard and addressed.

Special Populations

Issue: There are rising numbers of youth and seniors in the Black Utah community. Specific systems must be in place to provide targeted support for these groups.

Juvenile & Criminal Justice

Issue: Black students (K-12) are more frequently disciplined and receive harsher punishments than their white counterparts for the same infractions. Likewise, Black adults are disproportionately overrepresented in the criminal justice system.

Health & Environment

Issue: Major health disparities persist and are associated with the lack of health insurance and other social determinants of health. These factors point to the intersections of race and health.

Communication & Outreach

Issue: There is a lack of specific representation of Black voices in the mainstream news and information platforms in the state. This initiative is focused on creating avenues to disseminate news and information relevant to Blacks/African Americans.