We Must Continue to Advance Race Equity Despite Troubling Times
February marks Black History Month — a crucial time to commemorate the invaluable contributions African Americans have made to our country, while reminding ourselves of the importance of ensuring that everyone has equitable access to the resources and opportunities necessary to thrive and live fulfilled lives.
Race equity should always be a pressing issue for all of us, of course, but especially for anti-poverty and equal justice advocates. We simply cannot get at the root of poverty and social inequity in America without addressing racism.
Racial injustice and poverty are inextricably linked.
Since being brought to this country in political bondage, Black Americans have suffered invidious and devastating forms of racialized disadvantage in virtually every aspect of life — from residential and educational segregation, to employment discrimination, to bias in law enforcement and the criminal justice system, and beyond.
The results? Massive gaps in wealth, lack of access to decent jobs, lower wages, worse health outcomes, and, among other things, higher rates of poverty.
We celebrate Black History Month this year in particularly troubling times.
After riding into office on a campaign tinged with xenophobia, the Trump Administration has not let up in its divisive rhetorical attacks on people of color. And this problematic rhetoric matters, deeply — indeed, white nationalist politics in the United States have been on a surge as a result.
But even as we call out the President’s outlandish comments, we can’t forget about the structural inequity his administration and congressional allies are trying to advance.
Just one of many examples: After delivering massive tax cuts to our country’s wealthiest households, the Trump Administration and congressional allies are trying to pay for it with deep, deep cuts to basic assistance for tens of millions of low-income and working families under the guise of “welfare reform” — a racially-coded misnomer itself.
So, where to begin? How to advance race equity in the current political climate?
While many may feel uncertain, there is a group of national racial justice warriors pursuing equity thorough an approach of addressing racism at every level it exists. The Shriver Center’s Racial Justice Training Institute (RJTI), a groundbreaking national leadership program, is equipping legal aid and public interest advocates with the skills and tools necessary to secure race equity.
One concept shared with these advocates is the importance of understanding and addressing the “4 levels of racism” — internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and structural — and the way they work together. Internalized feelings are made up of our individual background, experiences, culture and our identity. These internalized feelings and beliefs guide how each of us interacts with others, and the interpersonal interactions are what make up the institutions that drive our individual and collective access to opportunity. These institutions, in turn, create structures that work together to protect the interests of some groups while disadvantaging others, race being just one example.
Advocates in Florida, Ohio, Michigan, and Washington State have launched statewide race equity initiatives that highlight the importance of addressing race when fighting poverty.
In Washington, for example, RJTI alumni have spearheaded JustLead (formerly the Equal Justice Community Leadership Academy, or“the Academy”) — a year-long leadership development program designed to build a sustainable and deep network of civil legal aid and community-based racial, social and economic justice leaders.
Advocates must also begin by identifying and acknowledging how they themselves are situated within the institutions and structures they work.
For example, when practicing public interest law in education, I believed that the work I was doing helped families and children as I represented one child after another in school disciplinary hearings both in schools and the juvenile justice system.
However, I must acknowledge that my good intentions did not include identifying the role I played in perpetuating the system of inequity, rather than tackling the real work of addressing the root causes of the disparate and disproportionate outcomes. In truth, I could represent hundreds of students, year after year, spinning my wheels but gaining no traction. Unless and until I understood the dynamics of the history, root causes of these disparities, and the role each of the institutions played in creating this structure of inequity, I was addressing symptoms and not the source.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we must be reminded of the tremendous role people of color have played in making this country great — as well as the enormous amount of work that still lies ahead.
With the support of my fellow race equity advocates, I am inspired and empowered to play my role in working towards a just and equitable society — one where everyone has access to opportunity and the resources needed to thrive.
