Categories
accountability learning privilege

Giving without Strings

A current experiment involving universal basic income in California and a recent large study using cash transfers in Kenya show that giving people money without conditions on how they spend it often contributes to a better quality of life for those people. It turns out that trusting people to do what’s best for themselves in their specific situation results […]

Categories
accountability learning privilege

Putting Relationships First

Equity Matters, a Seattle-based consulting firm, has a set of ground rules they use for workshops and discussions. One of those ground rules is, “Put relationships first — Work to build community and trust with an awareness of power dynamics.” I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently and what it means to put relationships […]

Categories
caucusing learning

Humanity

I think a lot about humanity. Not in a “human race” kind of way but in a “what it means to be human” way. Being human means being flawed. Being human means doing the best with what we have in the moment. Being human means allowing ourselves and others to be who they are at […]

Categories
caucusing coaching learning

Shifting Focus

In order to practice antiracism, we have to continually shift our focus from the micro to the macro and back again through four levels of racial oppression: internalized, interpersonal, institutional, and systemic. As a race-based caucus facilitator and one-on-one antiracism coach, I am constantly thinking about those different levels and how to guide people to […]

Categories
coaching

Is coaching right for you?

Race-based caucusing is an incredibly helpful tool, but it can be a tricky space for leadership to navigate. Having executive staff in the room while other employees discuss issues they experience in their workplace can lead to a reluctance to speak frankly. For this reason, I believe one on one antiracism coaching for upper-level management […]

Categories
learning privilege

Power

Power is the ability to influence or change an outcome. Generally speaking, there are two different kinds of power: institutional and personal. Institutional power is often used to restrict resources, exercise control over others, or decide what is best for other people. Personal power is the influence or authority someone has over themselves and their […]