Racial Equity and Inclusion
This four-session Racial Equity Training, developed by the Equity Literacy Institute, is designed to transform participants’ understanding of racism from a solely individual, interpersonal issue into a robust, systemic framework. Facilitated by Nathan LaChine, the course moves beyond “optics” and “diversity celebrations” to focus on the institutional core of racial injustice.
Session 1: Foundations of Systemic Understanding
- Defining Racism: Shifting from “prejudice” to a “system of advantage and oppression based on race” supported by institutional power.
- The Structural Shift: Moving from viewing racism as occasional incidents to recognizing it as ordinary, impactful, and embedded in everything.
- Inequity vs. Equity: Establishing shared definitions that go beyond “sameness” or “equal” treatment, which often reproduces existing inequities.
Session 2: The Five Abilities of Equity Literacy
Participants will practice five core abilities required to be a “threat” to the existence of inequity:
- Recognize Inequity: Identifying even subtle bias.
- Respond to Inequity: Gaining the skills to react in the immediate term.
- Redress Inequity: Proactively addressing root causes.
- Actively Cultivate Equity: Applying an antiracist lens to every policy and practice.
- Sustain Equity: Maintaining progress in the face of inevitable pushback and complaints.
Session 3: Ideology and Structural Change
- Ideology to Action: Learning how personal ideology (interpreting disparities) dictates chosen solutions and outcomes.
- Case Study Analysis: Using a seven-step framework to identify problems, take stock of varying perspectives, and brainstorm long-term policy adjustments.
- Transformative Equity: Distinguishing between “mitigative” actions (helping people survive a broken system) and “transformative” change (addressing root causes).
Session 4: Navigating Resistance and Sustainability
- Identifying Resistance: Understanding five common types of resistors: The Thinker, the Fairness-Seeker, the Certainty-Seeker, the Autonomy/Status-Seeker, and the Minimizer.
- Strategic Engagement: Determining when to enter productive dialogue and when to “shut down” disruptive or harmful behavior based on the resistor’s perceived intent.
- Community Care: Strategies for coping with burnout and sustaining the personal and professional will to push for justice.
Guiding Equity Principles
The training is anchored by the #FixInjusticeNotPeople principle: equity efforts should never focus on “adjusting” the culture or mindsets of marginalized groups, but rather on transforming the conditions that oppress them.
| Principle | Description |
| Direct Confrontation | Commitment requires direct confrontation with inequity rather than avoidance. |
| Prioritization | Actively prioritize the interests of those whose interests have historically been ignored (BIPOC). |
| Evidence-Informed | Efforts are based on what works, which includes the lived experiences of marginalized people. |
Avoiding “Equity Detours”
A primary goal of this training is to identify “optics-high” but “equity-low” detours that create the appearance of progress without systemic change. These include:
- Pacing for Privilege: Prioritizing the comfort of privileged people over the urgent needs of the marginalized.
- Culture Fetish: Focusing on vague “cultural competence” to dodge conversations about actual racism.
- Shiny New Thing: Counting on trendy programs (e.g., “grit” or “growth mindset”) that weren’t designed with equity in mind to solve systemic issues.
Ready to strengthen your system of care? Click here to use our Training Request Form
