Category: Anti-Racism Is a Verb

We are grateful for your support of our work with youth, families and organizations that are working to become anti-racist. We celebrate our connections and our commitment to truth. We are glad to be held accountable and acknowledge that we are all working to be better versions of ourselves. 10 Ways We Are Practicing Gratitude: We are…
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  The list below is from a panel hosted by the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce on Nov. 9, 2021 featuring Equity Training Center experts Guimel DeCarvalho, Amy Hogarth and Carlton Watson. For presenter bios visit the About Us page.   Misstep #1: “If we hire the right people, we will become an anti-racist organization.” Learning:…
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By Daniela Thermora Director of People and Career Development I think part of being Latina, Latino, Latinx, Spanish or Hispanic is understanding the difference between all of those terms. I was taught to call myself Spanish or Hispanic, when in reality I was referring to two different things. One meant I was from Spain, which…
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Guimel DeCarvalho Vice President of People & Culture Juneteenth commemorates the day the last enslaved people in America learned of their emancipation in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865. Last year Wayside made Juneteenth an official agency holiday. This year, because Juneteenth is on a Friday, we will close the agency on Friday in observance…
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Guimel DeCarvalho Vice President of People & Culture This past weekend was the 5th anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting where 49 LGBTQ+ people lost their lives, many of whom were Latinx. There have been many gains made in the LGBTQ+ rights movement, we must not forget that violence and death is still a very…
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By Guimel DeCarvalho Vice President of People & Culture Today is the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. We must first honor his family’s wishes and remember George Floyd as a “gentle giant” who was trying to become a better father. George Floyd was a person and while his death is symbolic of the legacy of racism…
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By Daniela Thermora Career Development Coordinator When I began my agency wide BIPOC – Black, Indigenous, Person of Color – group I received an email asking, “Daniela, just a clarification – is this a Biracial Person of Color, a Bisexual Person of Color, Bipolar Person of Color or Bilateral Person of Color?”  At first, I…
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By Guimel DeCarvalho Vice President of People & Culture, Chief Diversity Officer We often remember Sojourner Truth for her “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, but her legacy includes more than public speaking. After she escaped a plantation with her daughter, Truth successfully won a court case regarding her son being illegally sold into slavery. As…
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By Guimel DeCarvalho Vice President of People & Culture Systemic racism doesn’t just happen in America. Around the world systems of oppression replicate many of the same mechanisms and outcomes. They also have their own unique quirks and ways of taking shape. Isabel Wilkerson’s book “Caste” outlines the overlaps between the caste system in India,…
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By Guimel DeCarvalho Vice President of People & Culture The best way to change your own behavior is by having someone else hold you accountable to it. This is especially true for trying to change things that have been lifelong patterns and are reinforced behavior by the larger society. It’s the reason things like Alcoholics…
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