“What would a racially just world look like? How would it sound? What are the flavors like?” 

These are the questions I enjoy asking when facilitating one of our racial equity trainings as a way to get folks to talk about race. Talking meaningfully about racism and racial justice seems like a simple and easy thing to do, and yet it is a competency - so necessary for organizational and systemic change - that not everyone has or tries to learn.

 As Angela Davis says in her book Freedom is a Constant Struggle, “If we do not know how to meaningfully talk about racism, our actions will move in misleading directions.” 

And it’s true. When we are unable or unwilling to talk explicitly about race, our institutional strategies and interventions fail to take into account the disparities rooted in racism. For example, even with the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine, racial disparities persist, and justice for black folks like Breonna Taylor remains elusive.

This is why trainings stand at the core of our efforts to advance racial equity in communities, government, social justice nonprofits, and arts and culture institutions. I have seen first-hand how our racial equity trainings provide folks an entry point into the movement, a tool for organizing with allies and colleagues,  and a solid foundation for the work of improving the material conditions of and shifting power to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

In 2020 alone, we trained over 3,000 people via our Building Racial Equity Trainings, and engaged 2,000 more in intersectional conversations about race via our #RaceAnd webinar series. With your support, we were able to offer hundreds of scholarships to organizers and folks who despite pandemic-year struggles are eager to equip themselves with racial equity tools.

“This program does a great job of synthesizing history, racial justice, and ‘future dreaming’ to lead us toward a better world.” - recent participant in our training

With your continued support, we’re able to offer more spaces for individuals and organizations to not just learn about racial equity concepts and tools and ways to organize with each other, but also spaces to dream and vision of a world that is racially just, where Black, Indigenous, and people of color thrive, and not just survive.

Your support of Race Forward is an investment in this critical work.

In solidarity,

Nikko Viquiera

Training Strategy Director, Race Forward

P.S. No matter where you are in your racial justice journey - skill-building is an ongoing pursuit, opportunity, and is essential to the movement. Join us.