Justice and Equity Practices

How to Make Your Group Inclusive

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends” – MLK

Keys to Justice and Equity Practices

Here are our main keys to justice and equity practices:

• Focus on addressing institutional and systemic injustice, rather than just individual.
• Focus on the impact, rather than intent (e.g., it does not matter whether someone meant to say or do something racist, what matters is addressing what actually happened).
• Emphasize leadership development and avoid merely identifying leaders who exhibit certain traits of Western Dominant Culture.
• Focus organizing on issues among those most impacted (e.g., a waste dump near a low-income community of color), rather than only on issues that are “widely and deeply felt” (i.e., moving beyond just the concerns of dominant communities).
• Provide separate spaces for support and learning. For example, the Ella Baker Black Organizers Group (to prepare Black individuals to organize Black communities) or the White Activists for Racial Justice group (to prepare white individuals to address issues of racism in social change efforts). Your group can consider separate spaces based on age, ability, sexual orientation, gender, etc.

Defining Key Terms

Here are some definitions of important terms to consider:

• Oppression: A systemic social phenomenon based on the differences between social groups. It involves a dominant group, the oppressor, which asserts control of ideas, cultures, beliefs, and institutions over sub-dominant groups because of its access to power. The result is the real or perceived exploitation of one social group by another for its own benefit.

• Privilege: The unearned advantages enjoyed by a group of people, often because of race or wealth. Privilege manifests through educational or employment opportunities, access to beneficial social statuses, spaces, and networks, freedom from discrimination and having to confront various social problems, and in a variety of other forms.
• Prejudice: A conscious or unconscious negative belief about a whole group of people and their individual members. Simply stated, prejudice is the prejudgment (idea) that exists in your head without knowing or with little experience of the person or situation you are judging. When the person holding the prejudice also has the power to deny opportunities, resources, or access to a person because of their group membership, this action is discrimination.
• Power: The ability to influence others, enforce one’s beliefs, or get what one wants.
• Discrimination: Prejudice + power + privilege = discrimination. The power to deny opportunities, resources, or access to a person because of his or her group membership. Many acts of discrimination over time, against a relatively less powerful social group, lead to oppression.  “isms” like racism, sexism, classism and heterosexism are forms of discrimination. (For example, a non-white person can be prejudiced, but only white people in the U.S. can be discriminatory because their prejudice is backed by systemic power and privilege).
• Bigotry: Negative beliefs or actions against a person or group based on prejudice.  Bigotry does not include the power piece that is important in discrimination, so all people may experience bigotry based on their identities, even those who are privileged.
• Microaggressions/Abuse: Microaggressions are “commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative slights and insults toward [nondominant communities].,,A persistent daily low hum of racist abuse” writes Ibram Kendi in How to be an Antiracist.
• Anti-Oppression: Actively confronting racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism (and other isms), and oppressive power structures inherent in this country’s past and present.  This work is done by addressing your own privilege or oppression as well as taking concrete steps to combat oppressive structures and institutions.
• Racist Policy: “A racist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial inequity between racial groups.” – Ibram X. Kendi
• Antiracist Policy: “An antiracist policy is any measure that produces or sustains racial equity between racial groups.” – Ibram X. Kendi
• Justice: Dismantling of past and present barriers/injustices while working to prevent future ones. This also involves centering those most impacted to identify and decide on any solutions and paths forward.
• Equity: Intentionally allocating resources and information in order for all people to have opportunities to succeed. This also involves identifying and addressing barriers and “isms.” 
• Inclusion: Creating spaces where all individuals and groups feel supported and centered. This also involves recognizing and embracing differences.

Levels of Injustices

Individual Oppression

These are individual prejudices/biases and beliefs we have of other groups. 

Interpersonal Oppression

This is when our individual beliefs become open and demonstrate themselves through interactions with other individuals. 

Institutional Oppression

This is when collective beliefs become ingrained in institutions (e.g., the education system, the criminal justice system, etc.) through organizational practices, policies and procedures, and disparate impacts (e.g., the prison industrial complex).

Systemic Oppression

This is at the highest level where multiple institutions and cultures converge over time to create structural oppression and privilege of certain groups (e.g., the racial wealth gap).  

Frameworks to Advance Justice

Key Points

• Involve those most impacted and on the frontlines of injustice (e.g., we should have workers in our planning for Fight for $15).
• Address institutional and interpersonal oppression/privilege (e.g., prison industrial complex).
• Focus on cross-issues since people and communities experience compounding impacts of oppression/injustice (e.g., school-to-prison pipeline).
• Talk about intersectional identities and how they impact our strategies.

Move Focus of Conversation

When addressing instances of injustice or inequity in the moment or even after, it is vital to be conscious of the best approach to take. The following examples from Race Forward help to illustrate ways that we can shift the conversation following these instances.

Moving From	Moving To
Blame: Who is a racist/sexist?	Causes: What is causing the racial/gender inequities?
Intentions: What did they mean? What was their attitude?	Impacts: What were the actions? What are the effects?
Prejudice: What beliefs made them do it?	Systems: What institutions are responsible?
Grievance: How can we fix what just happened?	Solutions: What proactive strategies and solutions?

Strategic Framework for Advancing Justice

Race Forward notes that to foster a culture and system of equity, we need to institutionalize new practices (i.e., if oppression operates institutionally and systematically, then we also must institutionalize and systematize equity practices). Here are some things to consider:

• Be explicit, not exclusive
• Focus on impact, not intention
• Tie to strategy, not just morality

Organizational Justice and Equity Practices

Inclusive Individual Practices

• Proactively address examples of oppression, either individually or in the group. Though note if it happens publicly at least acknowledge that oppression as an issue and work to address the change.
• If a volunteer or team leader says or does something oppressive, then you need to address it (e.g., if it was done publicly, then have to mention it publicly). If someone makes an oppressive comment in a public space, no matter their intent, say something such as “Let’s talk after the meeting more about that. I think there might be some issues with what you’re saying and want to talk with you more about them.”
• Work to ensure you are supporting the person to change their behavior. 
• Beautiful Trouble notes accept feedback if you make a mistake, and “treat it as a gift rather than an attack. Give people the benefit of the doubt.” 
• Beautiful Trouble notes, “Take on the ‘grunt’ work that often falls on women, especially women of color. This includes the work of cooking, cleaning, set up, clean up, phone calls, e-mail, taking notes, doing support work, sending mailings.” 
• Beautiful Trouble notes, “Don’t feel guilty, feel responsible. Being part of the problem doesn’t mean you can’t be an active part of the solution.” 
• If you are in a position of privilege, take responsibility for addressing issues of oppression rather than leaving it to others.

Organizational Culture

• Clear Vision, Values, Principles, Practices, and Norms – Be relentlessly explicit about your vision, values, principles, practices, and norms to ensure you build an intentional organization.
• Provide space and opportunities for specific groups to meet on their own (e.g., based on race, gender, etc.).

• Commitment to discuss identities (e.g., race, gender, class, etc.) and institutional systems (e.g., racism, sexism, classism, etc.) – Take the time to have difficult conversations and talk through issues.
• Accommodate all ages and abilities – Whether a young student or an elder, regardless of ability (e.g., physical and mental), work out the best ways for all those who wish to participate. 
• Practice community – Continuously build a community that models the world we wish to live in. While we as an organization are fighting for justice, we should be moving towards an internal model where we are a representative community.

Increasing Participation and Inclusion Practices

• Snowflake model of leadership – All teams should operate with a “snowflake” model of leadership (e.g., increases leadership growth opportunities, spreads out work responsibility, builds for lasting organizations, etc.).
• Leadership Development – Seek out diverse leaders to grow their skills through one-on-one meetings, recruitment, coaching, sharing tasks, and other methods.
• Free childcare and/or say events are kid friendly (if they are).
• Sliding scale fees.
• Ask people to share personal pronouns (e.g., she, hers, they, them, he, him, etc.). Can do in-person in meetings and online by including it in name (e.g., Austin she/hers)
• Offering multiple meeting times and days (e.g., mornings, afternoons, and evenings along with weekday/weekend).
• Allow video conferencing if needed.
• Provide transportation to those that need it (i.e., not everyone has reliable transportation to and from meetings).
• Ask people on forms if they want childcare, transportation, or other needs to participate. Some people might not reach out, but would note it on a RSVP form.

Inclusive Organizational Practices

• Provide separate spaces for support and learning. For example, the Ella Baker Black Organizers Group (to prepare Black individuals to organize Black communities) or the White Activists for Racial Justice group (to prepare white individuals to address issues of racism in social change efforts). Your group can consider separate spaces based on age, ability, sexual orientation, gender, etc.
• When deciding whether to co-sponsor an action/event put on by another group, ask how they are centering racial justice, Black and Brown speakers, and/or people of color. Only co-sponsor if they have a plan or clear way to do so.
• Have a statement of principles/expectations for white individuals in teams led by people of color.
• Have a sunset clause and succession planning to transition roles held by white folks to individuals of color.
• For organizations with paid team members. Using 50%or more of the personnel budget for Black, Brown, and individuals of color.