Awake to Woke to Work: A Framework for Racial Equity in Your Organization | 2022 Foundations of Racial Equity Session 6

Anti-Black racism and white supremacy are embedded in philanthropy and in our institutions, often invisible to the majority of us, even as we work with intention towards equity and justice. As change agents within philanthropy, we are stretching to become our best selves, rise to the moment, and progress toward racial equity.

In order to undo systems of oppression, we need to understand the foundations of systemic anti-Black racism and white supremacy in our country. We cannot shift systems or our organizations without understanding how we got here, nor without looking at ourselves, at our relationships, and at our organizations themselves. The guiding purpose of Philanthropy California’s Foundations of Racial Equity (FRE) Series is to provide training for philanthropic practitioners to understand how anti-Black racism and white supremacy influence the field of philanthropy and to provide opportunities for action in your organizations based on what you learn here.

This sixth session of the Foundations of Racial Equity series explores Equity in the Center’s “Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture” publication and framework. Equity in the Center’s research is designed to support leaders as they build and expand their organization’s capacity to advance race equity and transform their culture. In these modules, we’ll engage in a critical conversation on the cases, tactics, and tools that will drive action to combat structural racism in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector.

This framework will help you understand how to take action on racial equity within your organization. You will learn more about specific tactics, strategies, and best practices to operationalize racial equity. Presented by Equity in the Center’s Executive Director, Kerrien Suarez, this session will outline the need for building a Race Equity Culture in social sector organizations and introduce resources and provide strategies to help participants move from commitment to action.