Foundation relaunches digital platform, hosts conversation with author Eddie Glaude, Jr.
The Indianapolis Foundation (IF) is maintaining its commitment to equity and welcoming the community to join the movement. Next up, the foundation invites Indianapolis residents and neighbors to attend “Forward Movement: A Conversation with Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.” on Nov. 20.
The event’s aim is to “inspire residents to take meaningful action toward a more equitable Indianapolis,” according to a press release.
Glaude is a nationally renowned thought leader on race, moral leadership and democracy. He is an academic, a pundit and the author of “Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own” and “Democracy in Black.”
Chief Equity and Innovation Officer Michael Twyman said Glaude’s 2024 book, “We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For,” aligns with IF’s mission to inspire action, adding: “…It’s the person in the mirror who’s going to save us.”
After more than two decades working toward racial equity as a private consultant, Twyman joined the Indianapolis Foundation to further their efforts.
The foundation’s greatest achievement in this area is that they have stayed the course, Twyman said.
“We have not wavered from what has been the institutional commitment to equity … even as things shifted in the sociopolitical environment over the last year,” Twyman said. “We had launched the Equity Imperative in September of 2024, and it still continues to be our North Star.”
Equity Imperative 2030 is the foundation’s five-year strategic plan to scale proven solutions, deepen partnerships and drive systemic change, according to their website.
Twyman added that the changing political climate “necessitated a greater need to be committed to this work because the inequities that have always existed continue to be exacerbated in this current economy and in this current political environment.”
Forward Movement
Adding to their focus on meaningful action, IF’s digital platform endeavors to engage, educate and mobilize individuals to disrupt systemic racism, per the release. Formerly known as MVMT10K, the Forward Movement app provides a space for individuals and organizations to connect over a commitment to inclusion and being boldly anti-racist.
Vice President of Equity and Policy Leigh Riley Evans said Indianapolis can’t move forward as a city without addressing racial equity and opportunity.
“Forward Movement gives us a framework to listen, learn and lead with empathy,” Riley Evans said. “When we advance racial equity, we’re not only repairing harm. We’re sharing real progress and encouraging the entire Indianapolis community to thrive.”
Twyman said there is an “exponential impact” when individual efforts combine for collective action and, “that’s where we see the greatest amount of social changes happening.”
‘We are one people’
Twyman would like for Glaude’s message to first inspire hope, especially in the face of uncertainty and opposition, and second uplift the idea that individual successes are tied to the “collective we.”
“We are stronger when we are together, and we are one people that coexist on this earth,” Twyman said. “Our individual successes are tied to the success of our brothers and sisters.”
Founded in 1916, the Indianapolis Foundation continues to work toward a more equitable city where people of all races and identities can thrive, according to their website. Looking ahead, the organization is focused on the three pillars of “innovation, justice, and partnership” said President and CEO Ahmed Young.
“Forward Movement: A Conversation Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.” is from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 at the Children’s Museum, 3000 North Meridian Street, 46208. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. Register to attend the event at Eventbrite or at indianapolisfoundation.org. IF’s digital platform is available at forward-movement.org.
Contact Editor-in-Chief Camike Jones at 317-762-7850.
Camike Jones is the Editor-in-Chief of the Indianapolis Recorder. Born and raised in Indianapolis, Jones has a lifelong commitment to advocacy and telling stories that represent the community.
