August 2020

Beyond covid-19 lies a new normal—and new opportunities Imagine the unthinkable! What will it take to build a better post pandemic world?

"When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to speak up. You have to say something; you have to do something." USA 'Good Trouble' Chronicles Civil Rights Icon John Lewis' Life Fighter for the ‘Least of Us’

Re-imagining the 2020 SEACAA Annual Conference: From In-Person to Virtual......as a consequence of the pandemic and necessary for the health and safety of our membership, partners, stakeholders and staff. We look forward to bringing you an online, virtual event that will help us deliver on our Promise and stay Stronger Together during these uncertain times. REGISTER NOW! 2020 Virtual Annual SEACAA Conference - November 4-6. Pre-conference - November 3. Registration coming soon. Look for updates and more details on the SEACAA conference webpage. Sponsorship, Exhibitor and Advertising Virtual Opportunities Available Promote your brand identity and marketing capabilities at the largest gathering of regional, state, and local CAA's in the southeast! email: seacaa.org@gmail.com

Looking for Stay-at-Home Professional Learning Opps? SEACAA ONLINE CERTIFICATIONS Well look no further!........ SEACAA offers a series of web-based e-learning platforms Executive/Deputy Director, Financial and HR professional certification programs that are self-paced and accessible 24 hours/day, 7 days/week to accommodate your schedule.........OR think about the SEACAA Certified Community Action Management Program (CCAMP) with two certification programs for all members interested in achieving high educational and professional standards in community engagement and management. No matter where you are on your remote learning journey, these courses can help you meet your goals. Enroll Now!

The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Intensified Systemic Economic Racism Against Black Americans “The issue of preëxisting conditions doesn’t just happen....There’s a whole political economy that’s made Blacks more vulnerable to having preëxisting conditions.” - Darrick Hamilton, Executive Director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, Ohio State University

“A deep rooted strength is the result of a difficult journey.” ― Karen Gibbs

Why Should You Use Social Media for Advocacy Work? Now, more than ever, we should be connecting with our communities and educating them about our agencies. Social media is our ticket to reaching more people in need, soliciting more donations, educating more people, and building more awareness. So take the challenge!.....continue Read more about the 5 P's of Social Media. "Let’s start using it with purpose. Let’s start taking advantage of the chance to exponentially grow our advocacy work and outreach." - Mariah Handy, NCCAA Communications Fellow, mariah.handy@nccaa.net

SpeakUp SEACAA! Regional Stories that Inform, Empower and Transform A Time for National Healing

Two Kentucky CAAs are Asking: “What’s the Protocol?”

KY - Distraught about the incidents of brutality and injustices in KY and across the nation, Executive Directors, Catrena Bowman-Thomas, Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission and Sharon Price, Community Action Council for Lexington-Fayette, Bourbon, Harrison and Nicholas Counties, Inc., step out and take a proactive stance to get answers. "Shortly after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the peaceful protesting that followed in Kentucky and throughout the country, Sharon and I decided that we wanted to host a series of podcast discussions centering around one key question: “What’s the Protocol?” .........we wanted to know, how do young men and women from various racial and family backgrounds respond when interacting with members of law enforcement? What implicit or explicit instructions have youth received regarding their behavior or conduct with law enforcement? "..........more

What's The Protocol 2 - podcast Host Sharon Delphin Price and Co-host Catrena Bowman sit down with Police Chief Scott Smith of Ludlow, KY; Alecia Webb-Edgington, Retired Major of Kentucky State Police; Police Chief Michael Spike in this podcast. soundcloud.com

Beyond the issue of policing and police reform, there is no agreement on a broader agenda to address structural racism and inequality. “Policing is just the focal point,” said Christopher Sebastian Parker, a political scientist at the University of Washington. “It’s a point on which we’re focusing now. But for black people, it’s much deeper than that.” - Washington Post, By Dan Balz July 5, 2020

"Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness."

Shape the Future of Your Community Are You Up For the Challenge?

Census results shape the future of communities, as census data informs how billions of dollars in federal funds are spent for the next 10 years. 2020 Census Response Rates Use this map to keep up with response rates in your state, city, town, or neighborhood. Spread the Word Graphics for social media channels.

COVID-19 IMPACT STORIES UETHDA Doing What It Does Best – Helping People TN - Since the COVID-19 pandemic began this past winter, UETHDA has seen a 137% increase in numbers of households served from last year. While many companies have had to scale back during this time, it has been all hands-on-deck during this unique crisis, and........continue

KCEOC Crisis During a Pandemic KY - Fear and anxiety have reached new levels during this pandemic - no one can deny that..........but when KCEOC Community Action Partnership thinks of crisis, "we see the faces of poverty stricken families; those vulnerable of going hungry, those starving, those that are abused, victimized, trafficked, those struggling with addiction, the homeless population who have no place to lay their head at night, and the lonely senior citizens wondering how why no one has come to visit. We see the forgotten, the forsaken, we see the invisible- we see people whose everyday is a crisis." "When this pandemic has ended and life as we knew it returns to normal, we will be here to celebrate as the fear and uncertainty slowly fades from memory. "

At Home Wellness Resources for Living a Healthy Life during the Pandemic

How to Meditate Outdoors An exercise to help your body release the stress of constantly bracing for a disaster......continue

#Alone Together Coronavirus has turned the world upside down- from being stuck inside to caring for sick family members to needing to keep 6 feet between yourself and... everyone. You are not alone, there are millions of people navigating the new normal and most of them are wearing yesterday’s sweatpants. You got this!  How to be alone Solitude is a skill. You can get better at it with practice.

Regional & National News

Congratulations CCAP Class of 2020 !

CHEERS! 21 New Certified Community Action Professionals from the southeast join the ranks! ALABAMA Tina Baker, Montgomery Community Action Holly Hicks, CAP of Northern Alabama Benjamin Jones, Montgomery Community Action Brenda Nettles, Mobile Community Action FLORIDA Christall B. Azcarate, Northeast Florida Community Action Jill Gass, Step Up Suncoast Pa Huoa Lee-Yang, The Agricultural and Labor Program, Inc. Faith Pullen, Florida Association for Community Action, Inc. Amy Yount Tittle, Step Up Suncoast KENTUCKY Sam Clausi, Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Services Dana East. Community Action Council Barry Johnston, Audubon Area Community Services Jessica R. Miles, Central Kentucky Community Action Council Wanda Thacker, Big Sandy Area Community Action Program NORTH CAROLINA Ginell Rogers, Nash Edgecombe Economic Development, Inc. Susan Salzman, Gaston Community Action SOUTH CAROLINA Kelly Buckson, South Carolina Office of Economic Opportunity Zsaquez Flucker, GLEAMNS Human Resource Shenika L White Gibbs, Waccamaw Economic Opportunity Council TENNESSEE Marvin D. Cox, Metro Action Commission

CONGRATULATIONS to Metropolitan Action Commission of Nashville and Davidson County Adult Ed grads who persevered through a tornado and COVID-19. Pictured at virtual graduation.

In the Region

Mississippi Welcomes New State Association ED MS - MACCA is pleased to announce Nicole W. Claiborne as the new Executive Director. Mrs. Claiborne has more than 26 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining MACCA, she was the Operations Director for Social Work p.r.n. and Divisional Social Services Director for the Salvation Army/Alabama, Mississippi, & Louisiana Divisional Headquarters.....continue "Ms. Claiborne has brought 3 E’s to the Mississippi Association of Community Action Agencies (MACAA) with her which include, but not limited to ‘Experience, Enthusiasm, and Excitement’. ~ MACCA President, Executive Director, South Central Community Action Agency, and SEACAA Board Member, Sheletta Buckley

Florida FL - Assisting The Poor During COVID-19 with Tim Center, CEO of The Capital Area Community Action Agency and FACA Board Treasurer - 4:57 Tim discusses their work in reducing the detrimental effects of poverty in this clip. Registration now open for the FACA 40th Annual Training Virtual Conference!

North Carolina Listen Up NC - "One Mission, One Voice" NC - The NCCAA Community Action Association launched a statewide public information and social media campaign in partnership with the NC Head Start Association in July to increase awareness and get the word out about available services. Click here to listen to the first radio clip - Episode 1 on Community Action.

Tennessee A True Success Story! Homeless to Head Start Regional Director for NW Tennessee: Rakaya Humphreys can help Head Start families from personal experience TN - Twenty years ago, Rakaya Humphreys, could only have dreamed about being where she is today as a homeless young mother trying to find her way....more Letter from SWHRA Executive Director, Mike Smith Clarksville Montgomery County Community Action Agency - A special THANK YOU

Congratulations, Rakaya!

Kentucky Leveraging Partnerships in COVID-19 Response and Recovery  KY - When the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic disruption swept across the nation, Community Action Kentucky immediately saw the value its network could bring to an innovative new statewide partnership....more

South Carolina SCACAP INTRODUCES THE STATEWIDE YOUTH LEADERSHIP VIRTUAL ACADEMY SC - South Carolina Association of Community Action Partnerships, Inc. (SCACAP) is pleased to announce the launching of the SCACAP Statewide Youth Leadership Virtual Academy to be held during Monday, August 3 – Thursday, August 13, 2020.

RPICs are Completing State T/TA Plans "The State T/TA Plan is not intended to be a binding document, but instead a living document...." The State T/TA Plan includes identifying T/TA needs related to Human Capacity and Community Transformation (HHCT) Initiatives. The HCCT Initiative complements existing capacity-building efforts by highlighting transformative practices (at the family and/or community level) and promoting capacity building across the Network to more broadly implement those transformative practices......continue  Criteria for Selecting HCCT Highlighted Initiatives List to be used as initiatives are being considered for selection as “highlighted” HCCT initiatives.

COVID Response and Resources News Alerts

Principles for Building Healthy and Prosperous Communities For work across sectors in low-income communities to improve health and well-being.

Tracking the Coronavirus Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count - The New York Times Map shows deaths increasing in six of 8 states in the region - 7/28.

Check out the many great resources provided by the Partnership related to CA and COVID-19 here!

Quarantine has changed us — and it’s not all bad Here are 8 new habits people want to keep post-lockdown. 1) Reducing consumerism 2) Slowing down and putting less pressure on ourselves 3) Prioritizing family and friends 4) Ethical action and activism in our highly interconnected world 5) Exercising daily 6) Baking, vegetarian cooking, and growing herbs 7) Spending more time in nature 8) Working from home, if possible If you don’t emerge from this pandemic with any great new habits, it is absolutely all right. Sometimes surviving is an accomplishment in itself!

Still to Come.... Mark Your Calendar

AUGUST 3-13 SCACAP Statewide Youth Leadership Virtual Academy National Partnership Annual Meeting, Seattle Washington 5 NCAP Wednesday Webinar - Fireside Chat with Vu Le: Equity in Nonprofit Leadership and Navigating Barriers to Justice in the Current Climate/2:00pm ET/1:00pm CT/12:00pm MT/11:00am PT 12 NCAP Wednesday Webinar - Applying the Racial Equity Lens to This Moment: A Resource Tour/ 12:00pm ET Register Here 12-13 FACA 40th annual Training Conference 25-26 National CAP 2020 Virtual Annual Convention NOVEMBER 3 SEACAA Board of Directors Meeting 3-6 Virtual SEACAA 2020 Annual Conference 15 2020 NCAF Annual Conference (rescheduled) Give some space. Image created by Carolina Iplinsky. Submitted for United Nations Global Call Out To Creatives - help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Hey there, remember to send your newsletter submissions to seacaa.org@gmail.com by October 30th for the November SEACAA Spotlight! A special thanks to all who contributed to this e-newsletter.

‌ ‌