Rita Joyce, our Supporter Spotlight this month, knows TAP better than most.
As a community mortgage specialist with Truist, she has assisted with our Housing Counseling classes for several years and has recommended first-time homebuyers to our down payment assistance program. More recently, Rita has become involved in our SwiftStart program, teaching financial education classes to participants. In addition to her direct work with TAP programs, she serves on our board.
A Heart for Service
Rita’s ethic of service drives her. “If my day can improve
the life of someone else I’m all in. I’m grateful for the knowledge I’ve gained
being in the banking industry thirty-plus years, and I believe sharing your
knowledge is important. ‘Reach one, teach one’ is how I describe it.”
With the SwiftStart program, which assists participants with
the job training and childcare needed to enter living-wage jobs, Rita
introduced a family budgeting piece. It’s a module out of Truist’s four-part
Bank on Your Success program. As Rita points out, most SwiftStart participants
are planning on increasing their income as a result of the program, and they need
financial education in order to best use that new income.
Rita focuses on budgeting because she’s seen that when
someone comes into wealth, they’ll often mismanage and lose it if they’ve never
been taught how to budget. “The budgeting piece is such an integral part of
your financial success,” she explains. “You have to see it visually. If you
don’t have a budget, you tend to overspend and waste.”
“We’re on a mission!”
But Rita’s class isn’t all about budgeting. She encourages
her students, “What are we on today? We’re on a mission!” Rita knows that many
participants have trouble believing in themselves. She shares her personal
testimony of struggles she faced earlier in her life, and tries to instill in
participants the understanding that with perseverance and motivation all things
are possible. “I give them my struggles but also my successes,” says Rita.
“It’s a challenge to go out and start something new. If they can push
themselves through it, success is what they’ll see.”
A Community Conversation on Racism and Inequality
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Last month, the United Way of Roanoke Valley and our agency hosted a panel discussion about racism and inequality. Watch the live recording on our Facebook page….CLICK HERE TO WATCH.
Actions speak louder than words. Sparking action, however,
often starts by expressing our ideals in words. (“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal…”)
Racism and inequality are deeply ingrained in modern life—holding a commitment to justice and equality demands action to uphold our stated ideals. That’s why, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis, we and United Way of Roanoke Valley (UWRV) decided to start with an honest conversation.
On Monday, June 15, we hosted a panel discussion on racism and inequality for human services leaders geared toward practical next action steps. Panel guests represented a broad cross-section of expertise from the region, including:
Dr. Nathaniel Bishop, senior vice president for administration at Carilion Clinic
Dr. Deneen Evans, tenured associate professor of social work at Radford University
Mr. Ray Bemis, a 30-year veteran of prevention and wellness work at Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare and founding member of Points of Diversity
Dr. Bush Kavuru, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Dr. Tracey Criss, MD, associate dean for clinical science at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and vice president of medical staff affairs at Carilion.
A panel discussion, of course, isn’t an answer. However, it’s a start. It’s the kind of moment every generation has had to face—and we hope you will join us in meeting the moment with the thoughtfulness, determination, and above all else, hope, that our future requires of us.
A personal message from Annette Lewis, TAP President & CEO
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TAP Family:
The tragic death of George Floyd has shaken our nation. Unfortunately, it is not the first incident in recent weeks and months that has resulted in a sentence of death for African Americans who were convicted without a fair and just trial. Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor are two others that we “know of” in recent weeks that were unjustly killed.
Honestly, as a black woman with a black husband, four black brothers, a black son, and three black grandsons, I fear mistaken identity or unfair treatment of them if stopped by the wrong person in the wrong community. This should not be.
The tragedy of what is displayed before
our very eyes is simply what has come to the surface of an age old ill that
exists in our society—the ill of racism.
One would have thought that everyone accepted and chose as a guiding principle the beautiful words penned by Thomas Jefferson in 1776 that became the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
However, it is clear that the
Declaration of Independence did not become, and is not, the principle value of all
people. This was evident in the inhumane treatment of people during slavery, and
in the Jim Crow laws that sought to disenfranchise people of color and maintain
segregation of schools, transportation, and public facilities. It took
boycotts, sit-ins, and marches—including the bloody March to Selma—to bring
attention to the fact that not everyone believed that “all” are created equal.
Inhumane treatment and Jim Crow
laws led to extreme poverty across our country. As a result, President Lyndon
Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights and Economic Opportunity Acts of 1964.
He wanted a better society. He knew that mistreatment of any people was going
to lead to more pain and suffering. Along with good-hearted men and women of
different races, backgrounds, and political persuasions, he desired to replace
injustice with justice; inequality with equality; and inequity with fairness.
It was out of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 that community action agencies were born. TAP was formed in 1965. As is the nature of community action, we mourn the death of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, and stand with those who stand against injustice, inequality, and inequity.
We stand against violence of any kind. We are all equal and should be treated as such.
TAP doesn’t stand alone—we have partners across the state who stand with us. There are agencies, board members, committees, and individuals of all races, creeds, and backgrounds that strive for equality and justice. There are police officers, like those who provide security for places like TAP Sabrina’s Place, who are devoted to protecting the safety of all citizens and feel the pain that we feel today.
Things you can do to help affect change
Perhaps you are wondering what you can do to learn and bring about real change—not just in words, but real acts that lead to change. I am proud of my daughter, Patrice Lewis, Esq., who penned the following list of suggestions of how we can move forward toward a better society.
Join an organization or donate to an organization that is actively addressing systemic racial issues.
Volunteer your time/resources to addressing these issues.
Read literature that addresses systemic racism and its effects on our current day lives and share what you learn with friends and family.
Check your friends and family members who continue to use racist and supremacist rhetoric. You can do it in a loving manner, but let them know you are uncomfortable and will not tolerate it.
Vote and challenge candidates, making sure they address issues regarding supremacy and racism.
Donate to a campaign that aligns with viewpoints that address supremacy and racism.
Hold local officials accountable for their current actions and ways they are contributing to the narrative.
Talk to your children about racism and supremacy.
Boldly denounce racism and supremacy. Not just quietly, outwardly and publicly.
Run for office or become a lobbyist/lawyer to help affect change. Use your position to honestly address these situations.
Join a citizen advisory council or other board to make sure that they are operating in ways that address supremacy and racism.
Challenge and hold your employers/employees (church leaders, etc.) accountable for their language, their ideals, and their systems.
Develop real friendships with members of historically underrepresented groups.
Be the change, start to evaluate how you contribute to the narrative and work on yourself.
Let’s begin where we are, and be the change that we want to see.
