A new community-led effort to combat racism in the Chippewa Valley has been launched. The Chippewa Valley Transformation Project has been organized under the umbrella of Uniting Bridges, a local nonprofit which advocates for underrepresented groups in the Chippewa Valley. Co-chairs of the CVTP include Edmund Manydeeds, a civil trial lawyer, member of the UW System Board of Regends, and an enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; former Eau Claire City Councilmember Berlye Middleton; MaiVue Xiong, executive director of the Pablo Foundation; and Dang Yang, director of UW-Eau Claire’s Office of Multicultural Affairs. The project is intended to “put in place sustainable mechanisms that will strengthen the community’s efforts in equity, diversity, and inclusion. The organization will seek to illuminate opportunities that will build bridges between people, engage in opportunities for necessary and sometimes difficult dialogues about oppression and inequities, and uncover opportunities for collaboration and action.” If you’re interested in CVTP’s efforts, learn more by emailing cvtransformationproject@gmail.com. A website is expected to be available in the spring.