Phase 1.3

Mobilize Yourself: High

The organization has an established commitment, shared vision, and goals for operationalizing racial equity, diversity and inclusion across the entire organization.  Racial equity, diversity, and inclusion is a clear priority for this organization and relevant mechanisms are in place to consistently assess how racial equity shows up throughout the entire organization. The organization is collecting and analyzing data and consistently audits their progress on their goals. All team members, including leadership, are held accountable to personally developing their capacity for racial equity, diversity and inclusion work and in operationalizing the organization’s stated commitment to this work in their programs and processes. Current leaders are driving equity throughout their teams and services and getting results, but not all of the ways that they are doing so is codified. Team members feel confident that racial equity goals are sustainable and the work will continue to thrive even if there are leadership shifts internally.

While the organization has a clear commitment and established goals for racial equity, the organization wants to find ways to further push racial equity in order to become a model for how to operationalize DEI practices into an organization. Overall, the organization may still experience fatigue or stalling at times while sustaining the work.

In this phase, the racial equity team should focus on:

  1. After identifying strategies to address systemic barriers to org change, develop codified goals to work toward removing barriers for internal and external stakeholders
  2. Codify the accountability mechanisms for the shared goals for racial equity, diversity and inclusion.
  3. Consult with external contractors/experts to support in the adoption of liberatory racial equity practices that could push racial equity goals even further
  4. Institutionalize disaggregated data analysis across all functions in the organization.
  5. Consistent funding is put towards this work, and a recurring budget line item is dedicated to racial equity, diversity & inclusion priorities.
  • Step 1:
    In racial equity work, sometimes we get swept up in the every day carrying the work forward.
  • Step 2:
    Take a step back and consider how doing consistent racial equity work has impacted you.
  • Step 3:
    Your core values ultimately drive why you are engaged in racial equity.
  • Step 4:
    Adopt a clear personal change management model that will guide your racial equity efforts.

If you’re in this phase, you are committed to the racial equity work in your organization and are clear about your role within this work. You have high self-awareness around racial identity, systems of oppression, and are keenly aware of how white supremacy culture stands in the way of racial equity implementation. You’re active in addressing biases and feel comfortable having crucial conversations about systemic racism and racial justice. You may need to explicitly develop your own philosophy around racial equity, may struggle with racial battle fatigue from carrying this work, or just wish to continue unpacking the nuanced nature of racial equity in your life – professionally and personally.

STEP 1:STEP 2:STEP 3:STEP 4:

Step 1:

In racial equity work, sometimes we get swept up in the everyday carrying the work forward. Find time to write down what your philosophy is around racial equity in a way that feels codified and able to be communicated with others.

Questions to consider:

  • What is my racial equity philosophy?
  • What opportunities do I have to communicate my vision and personal philosophy with others?
  • What strategies can I employ to communicate the importance of racial equity to internal and external stakeholders?
  • How can I further codify my strategies and approach to racial equity work?

Actions to consider:

  • Develop your own philosophy around racial equity and justice. Use this explicit commitment to guide your decisions and continued work so that you can ensure your actions are principled and informed by your values. What is your “theory of change”? (1, 3, 6)
  • Think about where you want to push your understanding of the complexity of how racial equity shows up in your practices. For instance, how might you move from racially equitable practices to practices grounded in liberation? (2, 4, 5, 10)
  • Identify professional development opportunities or coaching that can help advance and/or challenge your current racial equity practices (8, 9)
  • Learn from other leaders in racial equity work to continue refining your approach to racial equity and liberation (5, 6, 7)

Resources:

  1. Theory of Change — AORTA
  2. Love with Power: Practicing Transformation for Social Justice (2015)
  3. Centering Blackness: The Path to Economic Liberation for All 
  4. Podcast: Good Ancestor with Layla F. Saad
  5. Podcast: All My Relations
  6. The Combahee River Collective Statement
  7. National Guild For Community Arts Education: Racial Equity Guiding Principles and Policies 
  8. Racial Equity Institute: The Groundwater Approach
  9. What is Equity-Centered Coaching? 
  10. Intersectional Writing Prompts (Anti-Racist, Feminist, Queer) — Disorient
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Phase 1.2: Mid-Level
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Phase 2.1: Developing
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