Five Questions With: Kathleen Cloutier

Kathleen Cloutier is the executive director for Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island. The nonprofit recently partnered with the state to help launch weR1 Rhode Island Relief Fund, which helps individuals who are unable to access benefits based on their immigration status.

Cloutier spoke with Providence Business News about the fund and what Dorcas International is doing to help promote social equality.

PBN: What is Dorcas International currently doing to help end racism and inequality?

CLOUTIER: Our services are designed to assist those new to this country in addressing and overcoming the barriers that prevent them from taking advantage of the opportunities that are considered part of the “American dream,” which is often the reason for their coming here to begin with.

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Our clients are often faced with discrimination and inequality, and my hope is that we are giving them the tools and support they need to create opportunities for themselves. However, it is not enough.

We are currently reflecting introspectively on what more we can and should be doing. Although we are a truly multicultural, multilingual and very diverse organization, we still struggle with how to be fully equitable and inclusive. It’s not that we don’t intend to be; it’s that we haven’t always recognized how some of our services, policies, practices and how we use language may not fully promote equality.

PBN: What do you feel still needs to be done in order for equality to be achieved?

CLOUTIER: We need to repair the damage that has been done by our institutions and systems by their explicit and implicit support of inequality. To fully achieve racial justice, I think we will need to develop new paradigms: both in how we think about and approach the problem and also how we conceive of and implement the solutions. However, we can begin by implementing the recommended changes proposed by Black Lives Matter and other racial justice advocates.

PBN: How much of a role should government play in ending systematic racism and inequality, or does it go beyond that?

CLOUTIER: I believe we need to see both public and private leadership taken to effectively address the deep-rooted issues of systemic racism and be instrumental in bringing an end to inequality. However, I do think government – local, state and federal – has a large responsibility and plays an important role in ensuring equality by ending systemic racism and all types of systemic discrimination.

Governments should be using an equity lens to review, change and update current laws, regulations, policies and practices that support – and sometimes even promote – racial inequity. Well-known examples can be easily found in our criminal justice system at all levels – i.e. police violence, racial profiling, sentencing, mass incarceration – and examples also exist in all facets of our government, such as how our children are taught in the education system. Our civil rights laws also need to be updated and expanded to reflect changes in our society and other forms of inequity, such as addressing gender identity discrimination, etc.

PBN: Do you hope that the recent protests do create change and improve equality?

CLOUTIER: I do believe the continued protests have created a much greater awareness and understanding by those who had not spent much time thinking about these issues and the damaging impact that systemic racism and inequality have had and continue to have on the Black community and non-Black communities of color. The protests have also grown a broad coalition of individuals and businesses that have now begun to address systemic racism by changing practices, policies and actions with a focus on promoting equity.

PBN: Tell us about Dorcas International’s partnership with the state on the launch of the weR1 Rhode Island Relief Fund and how can people apply for funding.

CLOUTIER: We have been working closely with the state to ensure that all Rhode Island residents, especially those with limited English proficiency, have access to the vital information and resources they need during this pandemic. When the state was first planning the weR1 initiative, they reached out to ask if we would administer the distribution of this much-needed financial relief, and we agreed to help without hesitation. We’re very excited to be able to help individuals and families in households that have been economically impacted by COVID-19 and who do not have access to other sources of financial support.

It’s also heartwarming to see our community so generously supporting their neighbors in need. To apply for assistance at Dorcas International, people can find the application with instructions on our website at diiri.org or call our relief line at 401-270-7675. In addition, we are partnering with trusted community organizations … throughout the state to assist people in applying.

James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.