How do we use love to dismantle systems of hatred?

That’s the question we’re working through in real time as we work with boards and organizations to embrace racial equity.

When we lead conversations in facilitated workshops or conversations about moving toward racial equity[i], we get all kinds of reactions. Sometimes people are hungry for this shift in their organizations and wish it happened years ago. Other times, we see people’s eyes glaze over, as they are not clear what difference it would make.

So many of us are working on this now –in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors, and committed to personal improvement in our everyday lives – that we felt it would be valuable to share how we’re thinking about these processes.

People talk about needing to “do the work” – as if the move toward racial equity is unpleasant homework that one has left for the last minute. That language doesn’t resonate with us.

We agree that reflection, mindful behavior change, and focused actions are needed to shift our culture and society. At the same time, people discover their own energy and ownership when they build positive visions toward the direction they want to go. We believe in setting boundaries and helping people to understand how their language and actions can be perceived as hurtful. But we don’t believe that shaming anyone for their actions or perspectives will get us where we need to go, and have shown to have the adverse effect.

One framework we use is Barbara J. Love’s model of Liberatory Consciousness. The power of this model is that it is about liberation – a positive vision of society and community. (We heard about this model from Desiree Adaway.)

This model suggests that there are four steps to changing systems of oppression: Awareness, Analysis, Accountability, and Action/Allyship.

As the graphic illustrates, the four steps are cyclical. These are everyday practices that we can put in motion each time we encounter situations of injustice or power imbalance.

Why the need for four steps?

Our culture is action-centered. We tend to move too quickly towards action: There’s a problem, let’s solve it!

When we move too quickly to action, we miss some important intermediate steps.

On the other hand, the model contains an action component. Attending a book club meeting, reading about racism, even making a values statement are part of the model and only a beginning.

In this post and in the next four posts, we’re going to slowly work through the model and share how this can support individuals and organizations on the journey to racial equity.

TRY THIS:

Consider: What steps are you taking to move towards racial equity – as an individual and organization?
What is working? What isn’t working?
Reflect: What stories are you holding about race and equity that either support or hinder these steps?

Hit Reply to share, we’re interested to hear how this work is going for you and what challenges you’re encountering.

[i] We use the definition of racial equity from Race Forward: “We define racial equity as both an outcome and a process. As an outcome, we achieve racial equity when race no longer determines one’s socioeconomic outcomes; when everyone has what they need to thrive, no matter where they live. As a process, we apply racial equity when those most impacted by structural racial inequity are meaningfully involved in the creation and implementation of the institutional policies and practices that impact their lives.”