Page 56 - Microsoft Word - resource book.doc

Dismantling Racism Resource Book

Anti-Racist

OrganizatioNal

Development

The process of Dismantling Racism is not just about individuals changing our behavior and ways
of thinking. This important individual work must in turn trigger a commitment to dismantling

racism in organizations in order to position us to move effective and accountable racial justice
organizing.

Organizations, like individuals, can evolve to become anti-racist. The transformation begins
with developing a comprehensive understanding of how racism and oppression operate within an
organization’s own walls. From that analysis comes a commitment and concrete plans for
dismantling racism within the organization and in the larger society.

There is no cookie cutter approach to anti-racist organizational development. The road to anti-
racist organizational development is necessarily impacted by the size, structure, mission,

constituency and geographic location of an organization. Some organizations may need to
commit to transforming their organization in to a multi-cultural anti-racist organization. Other
predominantly white organizations may decide that it is most appropriate to evolve toward being
an anti-racist white ally organization that can work in alliance with organizations of color.
People of color organizations may decide to engage in organizational development to address
internalized racist oppression within the organization in order to strengthen their ability to
build power for communities of color.

This section of the Dismantling Racism Resource Book is designed to provide tools to help
organizations begin the discussion of their anti-racist organizational transformation. If we
build a shared and strong analysis of race and racism within our organizations then we will be
able to select the tools and processes to achieve anti-racist organizational transformation most

appropriate to our organization.

Dismantling Racism Project 56 Western States Center