Unpacking and Interrupting Racial Oppression Training Overview

Two Half Day Sessions - February 16, 2023, 9am to 1:30pm & February 17, 2023 9am to 1:30pm - Virtual

Training is a key part of organizational change work. Training increases staff awareness, knowledge and communication in an effort to move towards positive cross-cultural communication, challenging institutional racial inequities and changing the internal organizational structure. Learning to talk about race and racism constructively within the organization gives members and staff tools and practices for consistently interrupting and counteracting racial bias.

Racial Equity Consultants understand and teach that while we are not to blame for the current inequities that people of color face, we are responsible for changing the disproportionate social and institutional outcomes of the world in which we live. REC stands on four key elements to accomplish this work:

1. Awareness – expanding an understanding of our own biases, assumptions and racialized behaviors.

2. Knowledge – Developing knowledge of institutional racism, historical oppression and the experiences of marginalized groups.

3. Skills – build capacity to engage in cross-cultural communication and the ability to interrupt white supremacy.

4. Advocacy – elevating the voices and concerns of traditionally marginalized communities.

Full Description:

REC opens with the activity called Culture Toss to help center the room in the context of “othering.” Through this activity, we frame an oppressive environment as one that excludes a participant’s full humanity by only recognizing parts of their identity. This activity helps develop participants’ awareness of the impact of “othering.” REC will expand on participants’ awareness through activities that develop a common language for discussing racial inequity, while continuing to deepen their knowledge of historical oppression, the 4 types of racism, “whiteness” and how identity functions within our current socio-political context.

Training Objectives:

• To become familiar with the terms we use, as we talk about race and racism.

• To understand the impact of “othering.”

• To become familiar with the historical context in which we live.

• To explore the 4 types of racism: internalized, interpersonal, institutional and structural

• To develop an analysis of “white dominant culture.”

• To explore how internalized, interpersonal, institutional and structural racism impact our work.