No, racial affinity groups are not racist. They are an essential strategy for transforming schools and organizations into equity-centered spaces. Join us for our next workshop so that you can experience first hand what it looks, sounds and feels like to engage in racial affinity work.
Racial Affinity Group Training Description
We need to be prepared to engage in and support critical conversations about race in the classrooms in order to work toward antiracism in our schools. However, not every conversation or activity should happen in mixed racial groups. This is where racial affinity groups come in as an essential strategy for those with a shared racial identity to convene for learning, support, reflection, healing and personal connections.
After leading thousands of folx in racial equity work, we’ve learned that most participants have never experienced working in racial affinity. Some shared that they “never knew the power of these spaces” or “how to engage in equity work without harming and retraumatizing BIPOC.” Participants also asked, “How do I get these going?” and “What if it goes wrong?” This inspired us to create an overview training and year-long follow-up series for folx who want to continue their learning and receive ongoing support and coaching. We offered this workshop the past two years, and have had over 400 educators participate.
The format for this year’s introductory workshop is a hybrid learning experience, consisting of two 2-hour synchronous sessions and an additional 2 hours of asynchronous pre-work. While you can enroll in this introductory workshop as a standalone experience, it also serves as a prerequisite for the year-long follow-up course that we offer for anyone interested in learning how to support racial affinity work in their context. We just wrapped up our second year long course with 100 participants, and already have people registering for our 2022-2023 year-long course that starts on September 8th.
Facilitators
- Joe Truss (joetruss@culturallyresponsiveleadership.org)
- Jen Benkovitz (jenb@theleadershipcollaborative.org)
- José Garcia (jegarcia76@gmail.com)
Workshop Outcomes
- Use a research-based framework and other equity-based resources to understand and discuss how racial identity development influences our beliefs and behaviors as educators.
- Actively participate in a supportive space for healing, reflection, learning, and personal connections.
- Experience how racial affinity groups serve as an essential strategy for working toward antiracism in our schools.
Target Audience
- Classroom/School/District Leaders and/or Teams
- Anyone interested in learning how racial affinity groups can support racial equity work in their schools
- Anyone committed to critical dialogue, inquiry and reflection about racial equity
Registration Link
Dates/Times
August 9th and 11th, 2022 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. PT (7:00-9:00 ET) – This 4 hour workshop also includes an additional 2 hours of asynchronous work. *While this workshop is a prerequisite for our 2022-2023 year-long racial affinity course, it can also be taken as a standalone.
Cost
- $120 per participant ($100 each for teams of 5 or more)
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