2019 Truth and Transformation Panel 2: Transformation

Participants: Jazmin Chavez, Glenn Harris, Frances Kunreuther, Karla Nicholson, Darrick Hamilton (Moderator)

 

The panelists emphasized that transformation requires committed leadership, coalition building, increased accountability and a commitment of resources and effort over a long period of time. Moreover, expressed the panelists, it takes being more race explicit; it requires more race-based measurement and accountability implemented alongside affirmative action. “We implement affirmative action with no way to talk about the why,” said one panelist. This leads to confusion on what progress looks like. For example, progress on diversity is recognized as a critical component of change but is considered far from sufficient for institutional transformation. Organizations cannot silo off the work of diversity and equity to a few titled individuals and expect results. The panelists agreed that the work will not succeed unless the vision is clear and equity work is the responsibility of every person in the organization; individual responsibility and accountability is key.  

Working towards equity means dissecting the intricacies of an organization and how it functions within and outside of its walls. Having policies is not the same as implementing policies and understanding impact in the context of equity takes both micro and macro level analysis.  Further, the panelists stressed, that equity takes shifts in what kinds of voices have power and the shift can be painfully slow. In the philanthropic sector grant recipients are required to report on diversity efforts, but shallow improvements in diversity does not necessarily equate to a loss of a grant. The panelists contend that the sector is struggling to dismantle ways in which it is keeping racism in place; many philanthropies still emphasize funding to groups that operate from a narrative of a need to fix broken people instead of intensifying work to fix broken systems. “The motor of white supremacy can only be altered with the growth of power and communities,” commented Mr. Harris.

Transformation also takes a close look at what is needed, not just what has been traditionally funded. Institutions are sticky, and shifting priorities requires a shift in resources which often meets with resistance. Ms. Kunreuther gave several examples of service organizations that reexamined what their client base actually needed and did so, not behind closed-doors, but by pointedly asking their clientele what they thought. By incorporating the voices of those they were aiming to help, the organizations recognized the need to shift their priorities. The top down and donor-controlled agenda often misses the mark on racial equity. Moreover, to be a more responsive organization, staff must examine and may likely have to change pay equity structures, policies, practices, and job descriptions. The adage of “walking the walk” is applicable in this context. 

The panelists gave multiple examples of how persistently systems of oppression morph and reassert. “Whatever progress we make gets turned back. White dominance and racism are a machine that cranks out a product. How do we build a machine that cranks out sustained justice?  It starts with the conversation that equity is a measurement of justice,” said Mr. Harris. 

All agreed that change requires actual change not just some window dressing of staffing, policies and practices.  Shifts towards race-specific accountability measures are imperative to the work. “Diversity-washing”, and “fake-equity” are terms coming into common usage, similar to ways that the term “green-washing” has within the environmental and global warming lexicon. Care must be taken that rhetoric does not becomes a screen for real work. Progress will require new ways of asking and proving that racial equity is prioritized.