Metro IAF
Photo of action at Emmanuel Baptist Church.. Credit: Brajan Funes
On Sunday, June 14th, 1,039 leaders from 30 institutions attended the founding action of Forsyth Strong / Forsyth Fuerte at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, with 30 Metro IAF organizers in attendance.
Forsyth Strong secured public recognition and pledges from elected officials and health care institution executives to work with Forsyth Strong to address issues of mental health, affordable housing, neighborhood improvements, education, and housing stability. Forsyth Strong is the 5th NC IAF organization in North Carolina, joining Orange County Justice United, Durham CAN, One Wake (Wake Co), and North Carolina Congress of Latino Organizations (NCCLO).
Action Highlights:
- Celebrating a turnout of 1,400 leaders from 35+ civic institutions and $53,800 in membership dues contributions, with additional pledges forthcoming.
- 15 key elected officials – including *majorities* of the City Council and Forsyth County Commission – pledged to meet to continue working on a shared agenda
- Education: County Commission Chair, Dr. Donald Martin, announced $1.3 million for Exceptional Children (EC) staffing in our schools, in response to Forsyth Strong's organizing. WS/FCS Chief of Staff, Effie McMillian, pledged to work with Forsyth Strong to improve EC processes, communication, and training, and increase the District’s bilingual counseling capacity.
- Neighborhood Improvements: Mayor Allen Joines committed to directing City staff to meet with the Happy Hill Neighborhood Association and develop a plan to address more than 100 street-level concerns, such as pedestrian and traffic safety and street lighting.
- Affordable Housing: Six City Council members pledged to explore the transfer of 8.9 acres of public land to the Happy Hill Community Land Trust for affordable housing development.
- Housing Stability: The City and County announced investments of $52,000 and 50,000, respectively, to seed a Housing Stability Fund. The Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership pledged to engage member businesses to support the Fund, and Novant Health will also make a substantial investment. Further conversations with Greater Winston-Salem Inc. and Atrium Health to come.
- Mental Health: Novant Health’s Senior Director of Community Health, Kimberly Dull, pledged to convene a meeting with executive leadership to explore an investment in expanding clinical mental health access in East Winston, Old Town, Sunnyside / Waughtown, and The Hub. Further conversations with Atrium Health to come.
- The Assembly ratified the formation of a broad, non-partisan Electoral Team to mobilize 10,000 “Relational Votes” in the upcoming election.
Social Post Including Spanish Translation of Action Highlights
Video of Action from Emmanuel Baptist Church
Coverage
Spanish Coverage from Enlace Latino NC: Más de 30 organizaciones lanzan una agenda de acción y obtienen compromisos de autoridades en Forsyth
WFDD: Local officials commit to working with new Forsyth Strong coalition
Winston-Salem Journal: Pre-Assembly Coverage
