Operationalizing LT’s Racial Equity Commitments

Leadership Tomorrow continues to strengthen our organizational policies, practices, and structures to support racial justice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion work has always been a part of the organization - from establishing a minimum of 30% class members of color in 1992, to focusing the mid-year retreat on race and racism starting in 2001.

In 2014, after the shooting of Michael Brown by a white police officer, the Board committed to addressing racism as a leadership issue. This led the Curriculum Committee to focus on racial equity beginning at the Fall Retreat and within each Challenge Day. In 2018 and 2019, we deepened our internal capacity to do this work by hiring two staff members with knowledge, expertise, and experience in racial equity and racial justice work. In June of 2020, the board passed a racial equity statement clarifying LT’s values and beliefs around this work.

In 2021, the Board adopted new vision, mission, and values statements which codify our commitments. In 2022, we launched an annual alumni retreat focused on racial equity and justice.

We recognize that our statements and values are only effective when we put our words into action. Below are examples of the current steps we have taken or are taking. These will change as we grow and adapt our work. We welcome any feedback you have.

Organizational Practices, Policies, and Procedures

• Adopted new vision, mission, and values statements codifying LT’s commitments in 2021; aligning all activities with these guiding documents.

• Statement of Racial Equity Beliefs and Values – Board developed and approved organizational statement of racial equity beliefs and values (2020).

  Budget – Develop the budget using a racial equity lens including funds directed toward supporting racial equity work.

• Hiring - Follow hiring practices that support racial equity, including publishing salary ranges and ensuring a pool of diverse candidates.  Keep staff with expertise in antiracist/racial equity focused educational design and facilitation.

• Vendors - Prioritize renting venues and contracting with caterers that are run by or support people of color.

• Marketing and Communications - Ensure marketing/communication materials reflect the racial diversity of the program, class, and alumni.

• Professional Development for Staff - Engage staff in individual and collective development work to expand and deepen capacities to bring antiracist lens and actions into each staff role. Performance reviews include setting individual goals for continued development of racial equity learning.

• Board Development - Board ensures that the strategic plan objectives and goals advance our racial equity commitment. Racial equity learning and development is an on-going part of board development.

• Committee and Board Demographics - Ensure that board and staff committees match the demographic goals of the class (meeting or exceeding the % of BIPOC in King County). Currently, Alumni and Curriculum Committees and the board are 50% or more BIPOC.

• Committee and Board Leadership -  Supporting racial diversity in committee leadership by ensuring that either the Chair or Vice-Chair of Board and Committees will be BIPOC.

• Class Recruitment - Focused recruitment of BIPOC candidates for the Flagship Program continues annually.

• Committee Development - Committee meetings and retreats include time and attention to building knowledge, skills, and capacities related to strengthening antiracist community building, learning design, and facilitation.

• Policy Audit – Begin to codify the current internal practices that are centered on equity; review other policies to determine if they are equitable; adjust or create policies to be in alignment with equitable goals.

Programming

• Outreach and Application for Flagship Program - The process aims for transparency and clarity around how race, racism, and racial equity work are central to the Flagship Program. 

• Leadership Philosophies – Discussion of leadership principles in the context of racial equity work is explored in the Flagship Program.

• Pre-program Survey – Incoming Flagship Program cohort members are surveyed about their experiences doing work on racism and for racial equity. Responses help shape curriculum  development.

• Pre-program Prework - Before the Flagship Program year begins, pre-work is sent to the cohort to provide foundational resources for racial equity work in multiracial learning spaces. 

• Flagship Program Learning Objectives – The curriculum outcomes that drive curriculum development have racial equity embedded in them.

• Antiracist and Trauma-informed Practices – Flagship Program curriculum design and facilitation are informed using these practices, as is alumni programming.

• Annual Alumni Retreat on Racial Equity and Justice – Offers opportunities for alumni to deepen their skills and commitments within a supportive community.

• Experienced Facilitators - External consultants are engaged to support conversations about race and racism when needed to supplement what the Curriculum Committee can offer in the Flagship Program and in alumni programming.

• Racial caucusing – Caucusing by race in the Flagship Program, and sometimes in alumni programming, supports processing the LT experience and the topics it engages in different ways than can happen in racially mixed groups where white people and people of color are together.

• Responsive Programming – The Flagship Program aims to be less “agenda bound” and more responsive to emerging needs as they arise, particularly when equity-related questions are raised.

• Alumni Database - Race and ethnicity categories in the database have been updated and continue to evolve to reflect the complexity of ways in which people identify themselves and to disaggregate larger racial and ethnic categories. 

• LT POC Alumni Group – This group started at the request of alums of color and is supported by the LT Alumni Engagement Manger to support and connect POC alumni.

• Alumni Programing – Workshops and events are offered to build skills and expand knowledge of alumni as community leaders with a lens on racial equity. Speakers for alumni events are chosen with consideration to a goal of amplifying the voices of leaders of color.

• Antiracism Resources – The LT website includes an active and evolving list of resources and actions for engaging in antiracism and dismantling racist systems.

• Listening Sessions – LT has hosted several listening and conversation sessions for Black and African American cohort members and volunteers. A Listening Session for Native alumni is planned for the spring of 2023.

We are learning. We know there is more to do.  This summary of actionable ways we are holding ourselves accountable is a living document and we will add to it and review our progress regularly.

Updated:  March 2023