–submitted by Valerie Renk
Renee Moe challenged Rotarians June 10 to improve race relations by being more willing to talk about the issue. Moe is President and CEO of United Way of Dane County, where she has held a variety of positions. She shared some of her personal challenges growing up bi-racial in rural Wisconsin. She said, “At 12, I remember praying to be killed, but as a teenager, thankfully, I knew it could be different from my early years abroad. Please know people are hurting because of how society comes together.”
Moe indicated several studies have shown workplace diversity contribute to productivity, resource generation and customer insights.
“It’s about relationships,” Moe said. “And proximity is what builds relationships.”
Moe indicated it may be helpful to think of Black Lives Matter as “Black Lives Matter, Too” using the analogy that everyone at your dinner table gets a serving of meatloaf. You don’t get a serving, yet you deserve one. But you still don’t get one.
Recalling a past conversation with a Rotarian, Moe remembers telling him about racial equity, “You don’t have to understand everything, just believe and it will all fall into place.”
Moe was our 2013-2014 Rotary Club President and has both and JBA and an MBA from UW-Madison. She was introduced by Teresa Holmes, Club Racial Equity and Inclusion Committee Chair.
For additional information on this topic, you can visit the following links:
- 75 things white people can do for racial justicefrom Corinne Shutack, posted on Medium
- Anti-racism resources for white people, compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein
- https://www.facebook.com/153418591515382/posts/1372603702930192/?vh=e&d=n
If you missed our meeting this week, you can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/0zCOTRubYmw.
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 