Day 17: Building a Race Equity Culture
“Systems that are failing people of color, are actually failing all of us.”
Today we’ll explore how to build a culture around equity. While the main focus throughout this 21-Day Challenge is on racial equity, it is important to acknowledge that people from various marginalized identities and experiences are negatively impacted by inequitable processes and policies. When equitable policies are created, everyone is lifted up, ensuring our collective success.
Every day in the workplace, individuals face challenges being their authentic selves. As leaders and colleagues, we each have a role to play in creating inclusive workspaces. Diverse perspectives enrich our workplaces, and studies show that involving diverse voices improves
performance, problem solving and decision making. Yet, people of color and women are underrepresented in C-Suite, upper management, and Board roles compared to their representation in the overall working population. The culture of an organization provides insight into the racial dynamics and racial equity/parity within the organization. Today we will focus on how you can create a race equity culture at work.
Source: https://racetolead.org/the-role-of-senior-leaders-in-building-a-race-equity-culture/
Today’s Challenge
Read: Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture, from Equity in the Center, outlines ways that organizations can dismantle structural racism and inequities both inside and outside their organizations. (Agree to their license agreement to download the report).
- Read the executive summary on pages 2-3
- Read the explanation of dominant culture in the context of building a race equity culture, found in the box on top of page 10.
- Read: Building a Race Equity Culture in the Social Sector 2-pager.
Listen: Listen to this podcast featuring Harvard Business Review co-hosts Alison Beard and Dan McGinn responding to some common challenges faced by businesses in promoting diversity and inclusion in their workplace (transcript included). Explore ways to help support your organizational leadership to promote diversity and inclusion.
Read: Get comfortable with words and language to engage in more inclusive and respectful dialogue – learn from Racial Equity Tools’ new Glossary of Racial Equity Terms. Examine which terms you may have been using that need to be replaced with more appropriate racial equity terms.
Watch: Take courage by knowing you are not alone, watch this 3-minute video shedding light on common struggles people face bringing their authentic selves to the workplace. Reflect on struggles your colleagues (family or friend group) may be facing in bringing their authentic selves into space with you. Explore ways you contribute to this phenomenon. (3:27)
Discussion
What are some ways you can help build a race equity culture in your company or organization, neighborhood, and greater community? What are some tools that can help you get started?
What informal and formal power do you hold to shift culture? How can that power be used to change damaging norms and power dynamics within your institution?
