Revamped forum for conversations on race to launch in Harrisburg

(Harrisburg) — Conversations about race and diversity are getting a home in Harrisburg – a prominent nonprofit is taking over a Diversity Forum series.

The YWCA of Greater Harrisburg will host the monthly discussions.

Dauphin County asked the agency to pick up the event because of a shortage in staffing, according to the YWCA’s Amanda Arbour.

She’s the racial justice program coordinator with the group, and she hopes the new forum will accomplish more than similar past programs.

“We’re wanting to make this different. Not just about education, and discussion and networking, but at the end of each forum, having, these are some action steps that you can take,” says Arbour. 

Arbour says the forum will offer a safe space to ask difficult questions and go deeper than the typical conversations about diversity.

She adds: “There are plenty of places where you can have kinda the more fluffy conversations about diversity, but we want this to be a place where people can ask the hard questions.”

The kickoff meeting for the new Diversity Forum is scheduled for September 17th at the YWCA of Greater Harrisburg on Market Street.