Racial Equity
Racial Injustice in America is a problem as old as the country itself. Perhaps, even older. Its impact can be found in education, business, media, and daily life. The ongoing protests and riots are a testament to the severity of the problems faced by minorities in America. It has had long-term mental, physical, social, political, and economic consequences for African Americans and others that have been subjected to discrimination and racial injustice.
Our theory of change requires normalizing conversations about race, making sure we have a shared understanding of commonly held definitions of implicit bias and institutional and structural racism. Normalizing and prioritizing our efforts creates greater urgency and allows change to take place more expeditiously. We must also operationalize racial equity, integrating racial equity into our routine decision-making processes, often via the use of a Racial Equity Tool and the development and implementation of measurable actions. Operationalizing a vision for racial equity means the implementation of new tools for decision-making, measurement, and accountability. We also organize, both inside our institutions and in community-based participatory partnerships with others, to effect change together. Organizing involves building staff and organizational capacity through training for new skills and competencies while also building internal infrastructure to advance racial equity.
Communities of color have borne the burdens of inequitable policies, practices, and investments, and they hold deep expertise on those impacts. Their expertise and ownership of our plans are critical to success. Engaging residents of color—along with Core Team members of color—as subject matter experts in the process can improve the process and the final product in myriad ways; from a more accurate analysis of institutional barriers to identification of more effective strategies and greater community buy-in during implementation. Robust community engagement throughout our process will be critical to our success.
Let's take a closer look at the concept of social justice for racial equality and take action for ways to achieve it.
Social justice for racial equity is the pursuit of fairness, equality, and respect for all individuals, regardless of their race or ethnicity. It involves working to eliminate systemic and institutional barriers that have historically disadvantaged racial and ethnic minorities, and to ensure that everyone has equal access to opportunities and resources.
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Have you ever heard of the term 'Implicit Bias' ? It is a term that is used quite frequently in social psychology, especially in terms of prejudice. Increasing our awareness by knowing this term will lead to a significant change in our perspective.
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Understanding racial equity is important for several reasons. First and foremost, it is an issue of fairness and justice. Racial equity is about ensuring that individuals are treated fairly and justly, regardless of their race. By working towards racial equity, we can create a more just and equitable society for all individuals. So we can start raising awareness by following the 3 steps here.
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