Positioning Yourself on Your Journey Towards Racial Equity:

The below questions are designed to help you reflect on where you and your institution sit on your journey to racial justice.  They are designed to help you reflect which tools might be appropriate for your community, those designed for organizations at the beginning of their journey, in the middle, or in the process of deepening their commitment.

Authentically reflect about your community and institution. The work of racial justice cannot be done without critiquing the way systems create and recreate racial hierarchy. The work of racial justice is a continuum, it is never complete and always evolving. 

Phase 1: Naming the Challenges of Racial Justice Work

• Why are you called to this work? What does it mean for you and for your institution to be invited into racial justice work?

• How do you assess racial and cultural challenges at your institution?

• Who benefits from the systems, policies and procedures of your apostolate? Who is harmed? Who is invisible? Who is voiceless?

• What are the most significant obstacles to being committed to this work?

• How can you adapt this challenge for all the various constituencies in your community?

• What is at stake?

Phase 2: The Work of Racial Justice

• Who: 

  • Who is doing the work of racial justice in your institution? 

  • Who has been invited into the work of racial justice? Has this fallen onto the shoulders of employees of color? 

  • Is the extent of your work for racial justice led by educators and/or staff? 

  • How does the administrative/leadership team play a role in racial justice work? 

  • Is institutional leadership present in planning and facilitating yearly or long term strategic planning in terms of racial justice? 

  • Are constituents invited to actively participate in racial justice work? Ex: parents, parishioners, boards, alums

• What: 

  • What does racial justice work “look” like for your institution? 

  • Is racial justice mainly a recruitment tool? Or is it focused on providing support to members of color?

  • What recurring programming, projects, and curriculum currently exist? 

  • What does "cultural programming" mean to you? What does it look like?

  • Is the extent of your cultural programming heroes and holidays? 

• How:

  • Does your racial justice work have institutional accountability? 

  • Does your institution have a budget for racial justice work? 

  • Is there regular training/seminars/professional development for your folks in your institutions? 

  • What does the curriculum look like? Is there an emphasis on racial justice and anti-racism? 

  • Is there space made for diverse world views and opinions to challenge systems of oppression? Who is centered? Is your institution upholding the dominant culture, the status quo? 

  • Is the institution cognizant of the needed shift from solidarity and charity to needed kinship and advocacy?