By: Darnell Shields, Executive Director of Austin Coming Together
Originally published in 12/16/20 issues of Austin Weekly News and Wednesday Journal newspapers
ACT’s COVID-19 Response Strategy has enabled us to impact Austin in many ways.
Austin Coming Together (ACT) was built on the foundation of our core values: unity, commitment, transparency, collaboration, and action; the same stable ground we stand on today. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this foundation is what has allowed us to anchor a response.
The pandemic has turned out to be a cumulative burden weighing more heavily on some communities than others. Needs have increased in already distressed areas like Austin. Students forced into remote learning are struggling with lack of connectivity, parents are losing jobs, and access to fresh food is limited. Plus, those who are employed in roles that require them to be in the office or the field risk increased exposure to the virus in order to support themselves and their families during these uncertain times.
At ACT, we have seen a strain on individuals as well as the social services that support them.
However, our dynamic member and partner network continues to function as a safety net of the essential services Austin residents need to sustain themselves.
As Chicagoans and people across the country spoke out in protest during the civil unrest that followed, we were reminded of the importance and urgency of our work. No matter the circumstances, we advocate for justice for all, which can only be accomplished through organizing, strategizing, and mobilizing to take action in opposition to systemic racism and disinvestment.
These recent events have revealed an unfair system that is perpetuating disadvantage in Black and Brown communities in Chicago. If we are to break the cycle, we must name and confront the obstructions in our way.
The ACT team and dozens of other volunteers at one of the many Pop-Up Food Pantry distribution events hosted in Austin in 2020.
That is why ACT has continued to enhance the coordination of social services; attract public and private investment; and build capacity for policy change.
Our work is rooted in relationships. Through these relationships, we are able to more fully understand what Austin needs. By implementing the Austin Forward. Together. plan and generating at-scale investments, we will spur economic development and bring equitable opportunities to the community. And to ensure our improvements take hold long term, we are building strategies to address institutional barriers.
As discouraging as the current economic crisis may seem, we cannot let ongoing systemic inequities threaten the progress we have made.
We must keep up what has proven to be most effective if we are to help Austin residents thrive: a comprehensive, collaborative approach. We must do it by empowering the people and groups who are here.
This is our chance to not just respond, but to recommit, recalibrate and restructure the systems that should equitably serve us all.
We can reimagine the way we treat our neighbors, in all situations, whether in community, business, government, or society as a whole. – Darnell Shields, Executive Director of Austin Coming Together
There is nothing stronger than pushing forward in a world that has not always been kind to you. This is the true measure of resiliency and that is what we will continue to do in Austin…remain resilient!
Read more about ACT’s work in Austin:
