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Dismantling Racism Resource Book
organizations make mistakes, if they are showing a sincere effort to change
and struggle, then give them a chance. This means making an effort to name
their racism and mistakes, to hold them accountable, and provide
opportunities for growth.
4. Do not assume that the self-interests of organizations in the
alliance are the same. To build healthy alliances, it is critical to take the
time to understand why people are coming together across difference to
work on a particular issue. With this approach, you are more likely to find a
unifying strategy.
5. Have the political will to use anti-racist practices even under
enormous pressure. This may mean taking the time to be more inclusive
despite a sense of urgency to move quickly. This may mean rejecting a source
of funding for work that might conflict with your anti-racist goals.
6. Decision-making must be above-board and transparent. It will not
work if some people or groups make decisions behind the scenes.
7. There should be equity in agreements on how resources and
power are shared within the alliance. Equity does not always mean equal.
For example, a one group, one vote approach may seem equal, but could
undermine accountable power relationships. For example, if an alliance is
being built around supporting a particular community, naturally
representatives of that community should be providing more leadership
within the alliance.
8. There should be recognition of the valuable contributions
organizations of color bring to the alliance. Often times, white
organizations may be larger and better resourced (more staff & money) than
groups of color. With such imbalances, white organizations can believe they
are contributing more to the work, often ignoring contributions that groups
of color may bring like issue and community-related knowledge or a base of
volunteers.
Dismantling Racism Project 113 Western States Center