Panhandle Times

The Amarillo Area Foundation has launched The Equity Fund to support communities of color and refugees.

The fund is the foundation's response to the recent focus on race relations and racial equity in the United States, Clay Stribling, president and CEO of the Amarillo Area Foundation, wrote in a press release.

“Amarillo Area Foundation’s mission is to improve quality of life for residents of the Texas Panhandle – all residents, regardless of their race or ethnicity,” Stribling wrote. “In the wake of recent events, the Foundation reached out to the leadership of our local NAACP to begin a conversation about racial equity in our area.”

Results of this conversation showed areas for improvement include summer programs in minority neighborhoods, funding for minority leadership training, and technology education and training.

“Another aspect of racial equity in our region is the need for a greater awareness and understanding of the history of our communities of color,” Stribling wrote. “Listening to each other’s stories will not only help us understand who we are but who we want to be.”