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Dismantling Racism Resource Book

Multi-Racial Organization: (We are referring to organizations that
are composed of people of color and white people. A multi-racial organization, as opposed
to a “white organization” for the purposes of this assessment, has equity in leadership and
power between people of color and white people.)
Multi-racial organizations devoted to building alliances across race and building the power
of people of color through organizing are essential elements of an effective racial justice
movement.

Similar to organizations of color, multi-racial organizations at the forefront of racial
justice struggles have faced severe obstacles. These include the difficulty of sustaining
financial stability, dealing with the erratic support of – and sometimes betrayal by – white
liberal and progressive organizations and defending themselves from the repressive
strategies of the police, the courts, local, state and federal governments and non-
governmental bodies. Multi-racial membership organizations are also at risk for being
wedged apart by racist attacks. This history informs the approaches multi-racial
organizations may take to sustain their work over time.

Multi-racial organizations need to be incredibly thoughtful about their role in racial justice
organizing. It is necessary that multi-racial organizations become active allies in struggles
for racial justice, but ultimately, multi-racial organizations need to be taking leadership
from and be accountable to people of color within their organization as well as other
communities and organizations of color. The following are questions that will help identify
whether multi-racial organizations are ready to take on a new or expanded commitment to
engage in racial justice work.

Who is currently committed and interested in taking racial justice
work on?

As an organizer or leader, are you the primary one pushing the agenda? Is there a shared
commitment among white and people of color leaders within the organization? How
thoughtful and deep is the commitment? Are people committed enough to expend real
resources for the work? Do people understand that this will involve internal work, possibly
internal resistance and tension, and may impact external relationships? Are people going to
back off at the first sign of trouble? The fiftieth?

If there is not a shared commitment among a critical mass of people with power in the
organization who also share a sense of the potential barriers and problems that could
arise, the organization is not ready. More internal education and more effort building a
base of support for taking on a racial justice focus must happen.

Dismantling Racism Project 98 Western States Center