“Racial equity is the condition that would be achieved if one's racial identity no longer predicted, in a statistical sense, how one fares. When we use the term, we are thinking about racial equity as one part of racial justice, and thus we also include work to address root causes of inequities not just their manifestation. This includes elimination of policies, practices, attitudes, and cultural messages that reinforce differential outcomes by race or fail to eliminate them.”
Today we’ll explore how to build a culture around equity. While the focus throughout this 21-Day Challenge is on racial equity, it is important to acknowledge that people from various marginalized identities and experiences are negatively impacted by inequitable processes and policies. When equitable systems and policies are created, everyone is lifted, ensuring our collective success.
The Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) offers as an example the inequities in voting practices. When voting is constrained for Black and brown voters because of voter I.D. laws, limited polling availability, lifelong bans for people who have been incarcerated, and other barriers, many low-income white voters are also left out of the voting process (GARE, Why Working for Racial Equity Benefits Everyone, 2020).
There are various reasons to participate in this challenge, and one may be to transform your workplace from a culture rooted in white dominant norms and standards to a culture around equity. You may be looking for ways to increase representation from marginalized groups; strengthen your culture to be more inclusive; and look through a racial equity lens to see more clearly how your organizational operations and programs are impacting its diversity.
The information and resources included here will help you get to the next level.
Did you know?
- Native American women are typically paid just 57 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men (National Partnership for Women and Families, 2020)
- Compounding effects of multiple minoritized identities contribute to transgender women earning far less than white, non-Hispanic men. Transgender women earn even less than their transgender male counterparts (Center for American Progress, 2020)
- Despite making up only 13% of the total US workforce, racial discrimination against Black workers accounts for 26% of all claims filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and its partner agencies (Vox, 2019)
