EXPOSED:
The Inequities Revealed by Covid-19
and the Path to More Just Small Cities
A Virtual Conversation Series
Cohosted by United Way of Greater Charlottesville and Tom Tom Foundation
Every Wednesday | 4-5pm
July 15 - August 26, 2020
Exposed, a virtual event series built in collaboration with the United Way of Greater Charlottesville gathered more than 1700 participants over the course of a 7-week series that highlighted inequities revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as local partnerships and programs that can help address them.
The result?
100% of survey respondents feel more empowered to enact change in their community after the session(s) they attended.
Monumental Legacies: An Uncomfortable Guide to Race and Place in Charlottesville
July 15, 2020 | 4pm
​
Featured Speaker: Louis Nelson
Vice Provost for Academic Outreach and Professor of Architectural History, University of Virginia
Louis Nelson, Vice Provost for Academic Outreach and Professor of Architectural History at the University of Virginia, will use local monuments to help us trace the history of racism in Charlottesville — from the construction of UVA in the early 19th century, to the oppressive regime of the early 20th century, to the various practices of racial mockery that shape our social practices today.
Because we'll only have an hour to dive into this expansive topic, participants are invited to watch Nelson's full tour of Charlottesville monuments ahead of Wednesday's conversation. See the video here.
​
United Ways and Universities: Effective Partnerships to Build Equity in College Towns
July 22, 2020 | 4pm
​
Featured Speakers:
Kevin McDonald
Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, University of Virginia
Andrew Grabau
Executive Director of Heart of Missouri United Way
What is “Inclusive Excellence” and how can this framework help build partnerships for equity in your hometown? Kevin McDonald, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, University of Virginia and Andrew Grabau, Executive Director at the United Way, Heart of Missouri will deep dive into their efforts to bridge the equity gap at University of Missouri and tether that work to its host city of Columbia, MO.” Created on the heels of the tragic shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, the design of this framework has dramatic echoes to conversations that are top of mind for many of us today.
​
Get a head start in understanding their groundbreaking framework here.
Systems-Level Change in Our Community: The Renewal of Friendship Court
July 29, 2020 | 4pm
​
Featured Speakers:
Charlene Green
Deputy Director, Piedmont Housing Alliance
​
Sunshine Mathon
Executive Director, Piedmont Housing Alliance
​
COVID-19 has revealed a host of inequities throughout our hometown by exposing systemic issues that continue to plague specific communities. Through the lens of the Renewal of Friendship Court, Charlene Green, Deputy Director, Piedmont Housing Alliance, and Sunshine Mathon, Executive Director, Piedmont Housing Alliance will deep dive into how income and cultural integration redefine how we view community. By welcoming new community members at a range of incomes, in addition to adding critically needed affordable units to the community at an ideal location, residents are hoping to erode past stigma of public perception while maintaining cultural identity and a sense of home which has been true by so many.
​
Learn more about this unprecedented project here.
Health Equity Issues and Solutions for Small College Towns
August 5, 2020 | 4pm
​
Featured Speaker: Michael D. Williams
Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Integration, Associate Professor of Surgery, UVA Health System and Medical School
How can university hospitals raise enough funds to stay open if university students don’t return and what does that mean for the local community?
The ongoing pandemic of Covid-19 has exposed major cracks within our nation’s healthcare system. Communities of color are disproportionately ravaged by the novel virus. For Charlottesville, the inequity is only exacerbated by a long history of mistrust and injustice by the research hospital towards African Americans. For the Hospitals, they must weigh the costs of serving their hometown community versus an overwhelming student community to establish a means to disperse finite resources among a seemingly infinite number of patients.
At home, how can the UVa Health System ease that tension and rebuild trust?
Join Michael D. Williams, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Integration, Associate Professor of Surgery, UVA Health System and Medical School, as he attempts to answer these critical questions while mapping out our own road to recovery.
Setting the Table: Hosting a Community Table Event for Conversations Around Equity
August 12, 2020 | 4pm
​
Featured Speakers: This will be a panel discussion. Meet the panelists and moderator here.
A “Community Table” is a simple idea: bring people together to share a meal, a conversation, and build common ground, with equity and respect. Established by the United Way of Greater Charlottesville after the events of Summer 2017, Community Tables have an even more urgent purpose now- to hasten the honest conversations that must happen if we are going to move forward in the dismantling of structural racism in our community. This panel discussion, led by Community Table Hosts, will explain what a Community Table is and will provide guidance for other communities and organizations who might want to host their own Tables.
United Way Partnerships for Community Equity Work: The "Driving Lives Forward" Program
August 19 2020 | 4pm
​
Featured Speaker: Liza Borches
President and Chief Executive Officer, Carter Myers Automotive
Philanthropy is a critical component of community building. Carter Myers Auto and United Way teamed up to create the Driving Lives Forward Program - an affordable loan program for families looking to own a vehicle, but without the financial means available to do so. By empowering these families with pathways and solutions, these organizations are helping to build financial stability hand-in-hand with those who need it most.
Join Liza Borches, President and CEO at Carter Myers Automotive, to learn about her family’s story of cultivating a culture of philanthropy and how that is especially important in the wake of Covid-19.
JOIN US FOR AN IMPORTANT COMMUNITY CONVERSATION!
Improving Equity in Early Education
August 26, 2020 | 4pm
​
Featured Speakers:
Amanda Williford
Research Associate Professor, Curry School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia
​
Stephanie Adams
STREAMin3 Curriculum Coach
​
The final session in our Exposed series with the United Way of Greater Charlottesville will focus on how the Covid-19 pandemic is impacting early-life learning, especially in underserved communities. Our speakers will seek to provide specific strategies to improve your instruction as a teacher or child care provider, as well as ways to advocate for our community's children as a community member.
Welcoming everyone to the conversation.
These events are pay-what-you-can to ensure we have as many voices at the table as possible. All contributions go to the United Way’s Recovery and Resilience Fund to continue providing immediate support for families and individuals affected by Covid-19.
.png)