Day 10: Institutional Racism

This second week, the theme is “Healing.”

Today’s topic is Levels of Racism: Institutional Racism 

01 Learn

Institutional racism shows up in both formalized and informal ways, from Human Resources policies that privilege white dominant norms of “professionalism” to cultures that instill a sense of belonging to those who feel more comfortable in norms of whiteness (go back to the prompt from Day 5 to dig back into this). Watch this 3 minute video summing up institutional racism in the US. 

To disrupt institutional racism, it is helpful to name it, and also help an organization understand where it is on a journey to being anti-racist/pro-equitable belonging. Review both this continuum on becoming an “anti-racist” organization as well as this graphic of the “predictable phases of race equity work.”  

02 Reflect

• Where would you put your organization, business, community, or school on these two continua? Is this helpful? If so, how? Where would you ideally like to see your organization or group?
• What would it take to get there? What is your next step?

03 Act

• Bring one or both of the continua to your organization and/or to partners to spark conversation and commitment to equity internally. 
• You might also consider and do this assessment of your organizational readiness to move on a racial justice agenda (there are questions for organizations of color, white organizations, and multi-racial organizations). 
• As you consider doing internal organizational change work, consider some of the holistic supports that are helpful in undertaking this work.

04 Digging Deeper, Time Permitting…

• Check out “Awake to Woke to Work” to learn more about levers for change in organizations (see especially the images and charts on pages 11-19).
• Read this short blog post from IISC  President Kelly Bates on the experience of “undoing” that comes with doing racial equity work. 
• If you are doing “collective impact” work, consider this list of race equity-oriented questions for each of the five core elements. 
• Consult this resource from Aorta for dismantling anti-Blackness in “democratic” organizations (cooperatives)
• Consider this example of how the National Farm to School Network has been moving forward its commitment to equity
• See this example of anti-racism accountability standards developed for an organization.

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