The Impact of a Community-Based Undoing Racism Intervention on Personal Attitudes and Behaviors

Background and Purpose. Racism is defined as social and institutional power combined with race prejudice - a system of advantage for those considered white and of oppression for those who aren’t (Racial Equity Institute, 2017). One method for combatting racism is racial equity training, shown to be effective for child welfare staff (Johnson et al., 2009) where there is evidence of racial disproportionality (Courtney & Skyles, 2003) and to address racially disparate outcomes in cancer care (Eng et al., 2014). However, less is known about the impact of these interventions in a community setting. This project examined a series of community-based undoing racism workshops in the Triangle region of North Carolina to assess what changes attendees made in their lives as a result of participation.

Methods. These two-day workshops focus on structural racism, white privilege, internalized oppression, and institutional gatekeeping, while promoting a critical analysis of racism, justice and equity, accountable leadership, and community organizing as solutions (Shapiro, 2002). All participants (n=2,142) were invited to complete a web-based survey. The survey collected demographic information and included a series of open-ended questions about changes participants made in their lives and behaviors as a result of participation. The email invitation was successfully received by 33% of participants (n=710). We received 235 responses for a response rate of 33%.  Descriptive statistics were used to analyze demographic data.  Content analysis was used to code qualitative responses into themes.

Results. 70% of respondents identified as white and 30% as people of color (POC).  79% identified as female, 19% as male, and 2% other.  Average level of education was a Master’s Degree.  Most commonly reported personal changes were, 1) Talking more about race/racism: “I feel more emboldened in calling out whiteness, white supremacy, and racial microaggressions.” 2) Increased awareness of racism and inequity: “More sensitive to the everyday inter-personal and social oppression of people of color.” 3) Supporting people of color: “Willingness to listen to POC in addressing systemic change.” The most commonly reported changes participants reported making in their communities were, 1) Joining local equity campaigns, particularly related to education: “We are working to ban the confederate flag in our schools.” 2) Engaging in advocacy: “My participation and engagement in local politics and conversations with elected officials now guided by my racial equity analysis.”

Conclusions and Implications. Findings suggest that such workshops can have important impacts on both participants’ personal lives and behaviors in their communities. These efforts may be a start to dismantling the racist structures encountered daily. Efforts are underway to make these trainings both mandatory and accessible for elected officials, advisory board members, teachers, and the general public. Results can be used to further advocate for workshop funding and the use of the resulting racial equity analysis in policy-making and planning.  Future research efforts will involve pre/post-test designs to better assess knowledge and behavior change and case studies with local governments and organizations to illuminate how possessing a more sophisticated understanding of racism has changed decision-making to better serve oppressed groups.