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Dismantling Racism Resource Book

Moving Racial Justice

Organizing: shifting the utility of

dismantling racism work

Dismantling racism training has been historically thought of and practiced with a
focus on personal and organizational transformation. This work has tried to

examine the internal workings of an organization to make them more anti-racist or
anti-oppressive. But, in addition to this important individual and organizational
work, we also need to move racial justice organizing in our programs and campaigns.
Dismantling Racism training and political education can be a tool to prepare us to
take on racial justice organizing or to strengthen the racial justice organizing that
we are already doing.

Dismantling Racism work can:

1. Build a commitment among leadership and membership to a shared race
analysis and a racial justice campaign. This can happen through annual
Dismantling Racism workshops for staff and board. Additionally, organizations can
include political education about race and racism as part of their leadership
development.

Example

Two statewide coalitions, United Vision for Idaho and Idaho Women’s
Network, used dismantling racism training of their staff and board to
develop a shared commitment and useful skills for effective alliance building
with communities of color. The dismantling racism training supported their
allied work with Latino organizations who were fighting for farmworker
minimum wage legislation. The legislation passed in 2001.

2. Build a base and surface leaders to move racial justice work. Some
organizations have used Dismantling Racism trainings to bring in new members or

find new leaders.

Dismantling Racism Project 76 Western States Center