About Us

Who We Are

We are residents of the South Pasadena community who, in response to the brutal murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others at the hands of the police, and in solidarity with outcries for justice and the Black Lives Matter movement felt the need to engage in conversations around structural and systemic racism as it exists in South Pasadena. We supported the South Pasadena youth, and those in our country and around the world who stood up, protested and called for change and action.  

As we have chosen to live/work in South Pasadena, we believe that we have a wonderful community in so many ways, but we also recognize that we can and should do better around these issues and that South Pasadena is not immune. In our conversations, we agreed that we wanted to be actively anti-racist–to be allies, advocates, and activists– engaging in courageous and uncomfortable conversations around public safety, South Pasadena’s history, race, Black lives and community structures and system. We hope that these conversations will encourage our community as a whole to be more reflective and accountable, and prompt us to take action against the multidimensional aspects of racism. 

Our Mission

The Anti-Racism Committee (ARC) of South Pasadena is a grass-roots organization committed to addressing the deep wounds of systemic racism in our city as well as working towards racial justice in government policy, public safety, education, housing, art, and community services, among others. ARC works in partnership with all community stakeholders in order to help foster accountability, equity, restorative justice, and empathic exchange.

Our Values

• Leverage community resources
• Recognize all knowledges
• Community trust
• Listening for understanding
• Collaboration
• Inclusivity  
• Transparency
• Confidentiality, privacy, and sensitivity 
• Restoration
• Reconciliation 
• Harm mitigation 
• Equity
• Active citizenship 
• Continual learning 
• Growth mindset  

Our Vision

Our vision is to facilitate inclusive community focused engagement activities to identify, investigate and explain how racism and other social inequalities may influence the health and safety of diverse local and national populations. 

Our vision is for a South Pasadena where there is full equality, solidarity and well-being for all. We envision a vibrant and inclusive society and economy that embrace equality and diversity and the benefits of a racism-free South Pasadena.