Organizational Equity Practice – Trinity Boston Connects

organizational equity practice (OEP)

connecting individuals and organizations to racial equity learning

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OEP connects individuals and organizations committed to racial equity to dynamic, holistic, learning opportunities.

The program began in 2016 as The Racial Equity Learning Community (RELC), a quarterly learning event that fosters cross-organizational learning, collaboration, dialogue and grassroots change work within community-based organizations across the city. RELC quickly grew to encompass a variety of other trainings, which eventually gave rise to our consulting work.

The vision that drives OEP is a racially equitable Boston where all its residents can live full lives unencumbered by structural barriers. It is an essential system-change component of Trinity Boston Connect’s overall work to unlock opportunity and change the odds for youth of color in Boston. OEP pursues this vision with multiple workstreams including community trainings, cohort-based workshops and organizational consulting and training for youth-serving non-profits.

how OEP works

OEP provides consulting, training, coaching and facilitation support for nonprofits striving to become racially equitable organizations. We pursue this vision through two channels: 1) the Racial Equity Learning Community (RELC), which fosters cross-organizational learning, collaboration and dialogue through a variety of workshops and resources and 2) training and consulting contracts with local and national mission driven social change agencies, with a particular focus on youth-serving organizations. RELC offerings have continued to evolve and grow into different forms over the years, including quarterly workshops on dismantling white supremacy culture in nonprofits; the Racial Equity Leaders Learning Circle (RELLC); the Emerging Leaders Learning Circle; and trainings on topics such as Facilitating Caucus in Your Organization; Building Relationships Across Difference; White Supremacy Culture 101, among others.

Our work is guided by Three Essential Community Practices:Racial Equity, Restorative Justice, and Trauma-Inclusive Practices. These practices create a context that allow people to engage in deep, courageous conversations. We believe these discussions are required for diversity, equity and inclusion change work to take hold and sustain itself in organizational cultures. Authentic relationships based on trust are a crucial element that allow deep learning to take place.

we centralize three design principles in our work:

Relationship Building: We centralize relationship building in every level of our work, because we believe it is one of the pillars of lasting change. Relationships create the energy required for powerful work to take place.

Trust: Culture change is proportional to the level of trust in organizations. We believe that the engagement of hearts and minds (culture), behavior and structures are necessary to create sustainable change. A foundation of trust is necessary for sustainable impact in any organizational system committed to building and maintaining a race equity culture in the workplace.

Systems Thinking: A systems thinking lens enables individuals to look below the surface and across all levels of an organization. In doing so, we seek solutions that address root causes (structures, mental models and values) and not just surface interventions (events and patterns).

These approaches help build the relationships that allow people to take risks and be vulnerable with one another.