Mission

NCBI MC brings people together across group lines including race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability and class. We provide training and education in schools and the community to increase understanding, promote acceptance, and reduce prejudice. We collaborate with public and private organizations to nurture leadership for social justice and provide opportunities for healing from the impact of oppression.

The Big Idea

Building on NCBI’s successful CommUNITY Conversation series, as well as last year’s NCBI-sponsored Anti-Black Racism: Transforming Allyship forum, we will bring together key advocacy, social justice and activist groups from around Monterey County. We will join together to build strong, accountable coalitions working for positive change and more equitable and inclusive communities. Activities will include a summit to strengthen internal identity/affinity group leadership and build coalition and allyship between the groups and organizations. Participants will learn from each other as we build skills to be powerful allies and work as a community to address racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia, and all forms of oppression and inequities. Leading up to the summit we will meet with various groups to facilitate deeper understanding of their group identity. We will conduct surveys to determine how the organizations can best work together to improve our community and establish common goals to measure success.

I thought the National Coalition Building Institute’s Community Conversation: “Ask an Able Bodied Person” was very educational. I found one panel member’s comment interesting, sharing their opinion on being asked about their disability by a stranger and she actually appreciates people wanting to know more. It was a great way to learn from the perspective of disabled people. I appreciate NCBI creating a welcoming space where conversations like this can happen. I would like to invite my Chronic Pain and Illness Group that I attend to the next workshop. I want those of us with invisible disabilities to become more informed about people with visible disabilities to see how to get the word out about both visible and invisible disabilities, so that people are more aware of all disabilities.

- Tanya Mills