Black Health Matters Initiative Wins Anthem Award, By Angela

COMMUNITY NEWS

Black Health Matters Initiative Wins Anthem Award

By Angela Chambers

It is with great honor and distinction that the Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative accepts the silver award in the category of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Best Community Engagement for the first Anthem Awards inaugural season! Join our team at 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 28, for the live ceremony where we will be honored alongside so many from around the country.

The Anthem Awards was launched in response to the prevalence social good has taken within the national conversation and cultural zeitgeist in recent years. The inaugural competition received nearly 2,500 entries from 36 countries worldwide.

“Black Health Matters Initiative was born out of the response to the murder of Mr. George Floyd and the Santa Cruz Black community convening with one another to take action,” founding director Cat Willis says.

“Through partnerships across the county with multigenerational and multi-focused Black leadership, Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative embarked upon and mobilized

a community initiative that promotes equity through a network of community trust, advocacy, and collaboration to improve the quality of life for Black residents in Santa Cruz County,” she says. “Dismantling systemic racism and the frameworks they hold requires a multidimensional approach through trust, partnership, transparency, and equalizing all voices at the table Cat Willis to develop new frameworks.

Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters

Initiative believes in the power of cultural place-making and the arts at the center to achieve this.” She adds, “Our work has only just begun as we embark on year two of the

Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters

Initiative through our Data Spotlight in partnership with United Way Santa

Cruz County, and our work with local county and city government agencies, investors, and community organizations.

We believe that driving the investment in this work to take it to the next level is our next step.

“Anthem Award” page 8

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