Congratulations to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation on celebrating its 90th Anniversary with Racial Equity 2030, a bold challenge to reimagine and build a future where racial equity is realized.
From the Bottom Up: Building Community Resilience and Racial Equity
Peace begins with those living with conflict. Our approach accelerates the capacity of diverse communities to chart their own path to racial equity.
The Challenge
Racial inequity is typically framed as a problem for marginalized communities. Achieving true racial equity is unlikely until there are enough stakeholders—in a community and its government—who consider the problem important enough to make “sacrifices” for the “minority.”
Structural racial inequity reduces upward social mobility and thus weakens communities as a whole. Reducing it is to everyone’s benefit.
Racial inequity also looks different in different communities, manifesting in varying degrees of poverty, mass incarceration and gaps in health, education, income and wealth. Consider this: Atlanta is half black and 38% white, while Pittsburgh is 2/3 white and ¼ black. Seattle is 2/3 white and 15% Asian, while El Paso is 81% Latino and 1/8th white. No single solution will redress it.
However, we believe systemic change IS possible if enough stakeholders view racial inequity as a threat to the whole community and take action. So before tackling the “How”, communities need to ask, “What does racial equity mean for our community? How strong is our desire to achieve it and why should we care?”
Racial inequity can only truly be addressed when communities are able and willing to define the problem, understand its local expressions, and chart their own paths to racial equity together.
The Solution Accelerator
Resolving systemic racial inequity depends on the extent that community stakeholders view it as a significant problem.
The Solution Accelerator (SA) provides the process and autonomy for communities to create a path towards racial equity together through Inclusion, Empathy, Common Understanding and Trust.
The Solution Accelerator enables communities to assess their capacity for change across specific dimensions and to build mutual awareness, empathy, and accountability by:
● Mapping stakeholders
● Perceived causes of local racial inequity
● Sharing information in interviews and facilitated dialogues
● Accelerating the emergence of sustainable self-governing agreements
Our goal is for participants most involved in racial inequity to identify and decide what matters. Solutions generated by the people and organizations directly involved tend to be more resilient, built on deep understanding and trust.
Our Partners
The mission of Kennesaw State University School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development is to enhance the capacity of people and organizations to advance conflict-related discourse, enact constructive change, and inspire peace and development.
The Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy’s mission is to promote a systems-based approach to peacebuilding and to facilitate the transformation of deeply-rooted social conflict by strengthening the interconnection of activities, individuals, institutions, and communities to improve systems and lives.
Sovereignty First, LLC is a social enterprise focused on accelerating the world’s ability to solve complex problems through workshops, consulting, assessments and joint projects.
