The Leadership Academy’s work in supporting and developing culturally responsive leaders requires those leaders to examine biases, disrupt systemic inequities, and embrace vulnerability in the process. The organization recently published an article about its efforts to turn the mirror on itself and engage in that same work within the internal structures of the organization.
Published by the Journal of Participatory Research Methods, “Face Ourselves: Striving for an Antiracism in a Nonprofit” tells the story of The Leadership Academy’s intentional journey to become an antiracist workplace. With strategies informed by research, the article discusses the work the organization embarked upon over ten years to make significant improvements in organizational equity – efforts that led to changes to strategic plans, policies, and guiding values, the introduction of affinity spaces that provided a place of belonging for all staff, and partnering with facilitators to help disrupt longstanding structures and processes that were deeply embedded in the organization.
Read the article for more about the lessons learned, where there’s been significant progress, where the efforts to move the needle have proved more challenging, and the ongoing and continuous learning.