Santa Fe College is hosting Racial Equity Institute (REI) workshops for its employees and individuals in the community. There are two workshops. Each cover differing topics and can be taken in any order. The workshops present a framework for how to approach racial equity that is focused on institutional and structural racism.
I first attended the Phase 1 workshop in Raleigh, North Carolina. This was a game changing experience. As one attendee (who was participating for her third time) said, “Once you see it, you can’t stop seeing it.” Racial inequity exists in all of our society’s systems. What many of us don’t fully understand is how these systems of inequity were constructed and what the overall impact is on our society. These workshops will help us develop a common framework by which to measure racial inequity, as well as understand how these systems of inequity were constructed. Once we understand how they were constructed, we’ll have to roll up our sleeves and figure out how to dismantle these systems of inequity and recreate them in a way that will allow all of us to succeed.
The racial equity workshops are organized by the Santa Fe College Access & Inclusion Advisory Committee.
Measuring Racial Inequity: A Groundwater Approach
This workshop is an interactive presentation on the nature and impact of structural racism and what it looks like across institutions. We examine narratives around racial dis-proportionality and make use of compelling research data to illustrate the systemic nature of racism and the fallacy of typical explanations like poverty, education, social class, individual behavior, or cultural attributes that often get associated with particular racial groups. Before addressing racial inequity or perceived acts of discrimination or oppression it is critical to understand what institutional racism looks like and the devastating impact it wields on our nation’s people, economy and social institutions. The Groundwater Approach teaches how to use data to measure the systemic impact of racism and to track institutional change.
This 3-hour workshop is led by a multiracial team of trainers from the Racial Equity Institute. Snacks and beverages will be provided. FEE $49
Racial Equity Workshop: Phase 1
Even those who are concerned about racial disparities in all American systems and institutions are challenged in their understanding of how racism remains alive and well, advantaging some while harming others. The Racial Equity Institute’s (REI) two-day Phase I training is designed to develop the capacity of participants to understand racism in its institutional and structural forms. Moving the focus from individual bigotry and bias, the REI Phase I workshop presents an historical, cultural, structural and institutional analysis of racism. With a clear understanding of how institutions, systems, and culture are producing unjust and inequitable outcomes, participants are better equipped to work for change. Phase I builds the capacity of participants to identify the root causes of disparity and establish goals and strategies based on that deeper understanding. Participants develop an analysis of institutional racism that helps their organization develop a common understanding of the problem and a common language to address it. This paradigm shifting experience redefines issues of equity as they manifest in systems and institutions today and the attendant actions of individuals who seek to address them.
This workshop comprises two full days of training and is led by a multiracial training team from the Racial Equity Institute. Lunch, snacks and beverages will be provided. FEE $295