ALLENTOWN, Pa. (WLVT) - Lehigh Valley organizations partnered to launch a new fund, with money going toward racial justice and equity.

“After the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, we really have been doing some soul searching and thinking about how we can accelerate that change,” said Marci Lesko from United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley. They launched the fund on Monday to find out how they can be effective in providing resources to the black community. Lesko said they realize it is necessary to consult with people who are directly affected by racial injustice to ensure this fund is successful.

“As the world evolves, the people making decisions need to evolve,” said CEO of FACES International, Tyrone Russell. FACES is working with United Way to provide insight on how to create real change in the community. “Far too often these decisions have been made with people like us not at the table, so the credibility sometimes is lost,” said Russell.

United Way is also partnering with PPL Electric and the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation in launching the fund. Lesko said some of the goals include proper education of American history and investing more necessary resources into local neighborhoods for them to succeed.

Russell said this fund cannot be a one-time project in order for it to be successful; instead, he said it must be a collective effort to change the infrastructure of how people do business, how young students are educated, and how decisions are made that affect the black community.

Community leaders will form an inclusive coalition of people that will direct how the dollars are spent, according to Lesko. If you would like to donate to the fund for racial justice and equity, click here to visit the website.