Expanding the Table for Racial Equity: Series Recap

After a successful six months of programming and engagement, LGW's Thought Leadership Series in partnership with Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers has come to a close. During the early stages of planning back in January, LGW leadership had one goal for this series which was to grow a network of people committed to promoting and working together for racial equity in the Greater Washington region.  Over the course of these six convenings, series participants have gained new insights into how race affects so many aspects of our society – and left energized to take action to promote racial equity.

Looking ahead to the coming year, LGW will continue to collaborate with WRAG and regional partners to harness this new energy toward a 2019 summit on race, racism, and the future of Greater Washington. Click here to learn more about what’s next. In the meantime, you can find all of the videos from the series and related materials at www.puttingracismonthetable.org.

Please enjoy a recap of the entire series, featuring exclusive video content and interviews with facilitators, participants, and sponsors who made this prestigious collaboration a success.  

Session 1: Buiding a Community
January 31- The opening session began by encouraging program participants to have productive and authentic conversations about race outside of their primary circle of colleagues. The purpose of Session 1 was to help participants break down walls and establish trust as a cohort. Questions ranged from "What are the core requirements for building trust within a multi-sector community, within a relatively short period of time?" to "What happens when the conversation moves to a place where things become uncomfortable?". Through a facilitated discussion, led by Inca Mohammed, the group began to take the first steps in cultivating a community ready to learn together and consider their own individual and collective action. Watch an interview with facilitator Inca Mohammed.

Session 2: Structural Racism 
February 13- During the second session led by Dr. Ibram Kendi, participants explored the deep historical roots of these structures and their current realities. The discussion touched on several key notes, that are essential to implementing change outside of the series. Dr. Kendi emphasized the concept of racist ideas and the sources of racist policies in addition to highlighting the contrast of thinking peoples are the problem vs policies actuallyly being the problem in certain social structures.  Following the lecture, participants examined what they can do to alter the structures that have led to existing societal inequities. View highlights from the session here.

Session 3: White Privilege 
March 16-  The series approach the halfway point with a discussion on what it means to be White in a society that proclaims race meaningless yet is deeply divided by race. In this session, Dr. Robin DiAngelo explored the way race shapes the lives of White people, and examined what makes racism so hard for White people to see, while also identifying common White racial patterns that prevent us from moving towards racial equity. Dr. Robin also shared insights from her own experience as a white woman and used the time to "call in" other white women to step up as allies for inclusivity. The question now isn't "What do I do?" It's "Why don't I know what to do about racism?".  View highlights from the session.

Session 4: Implicit Bias: A Training to Break the Prejudice Habit
April 10- Dr. Devine and Dr. Cox, two scientific leaders in the study of stereotyping and implicit biases, developed and empirically tested this training designed to break the “prejudice habit.” The first step in this process is to understand the difference between unintentional bias and implicit bias and the uncomfortable fact that people who renounce prejudice still rely on stereotypes. This training was the first and remains the only intervention that has been shown to produce long-term changes in implicit bias. View highlights from the session.

Session 5: The Role of Government in Advancing Racial Equity
May 11- Across the country, state and local governments are beginning to take the lead in addressing racial inequity. In this session led by Julie Nelson, Director, Government Alliance on Race & Equity & SVP of Programs, RaceForward and Karla Bruce, Deputy Director, Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood & Community Services, participants received vital resources and information on the roles leaders can play in encouraging their government to become invested in racial and social equity. View highlights from the session.

Session 6: Building a Regional, Multi-Ethnic Movement for Racial Equity
June 11-  The final session focused on Building a Regional Multi-Ethnic Movement for Racial Equity, featuring the esteemed Professor Manuel Pastor, from the University of Southern California. Professor Pastor encouraged participants to center racial and economic equity in our narratives, policies, and practices. Participants concluded the day by recapping what they've learned during this series with a discussion on Race, Racism and the Future of Greater Washington facilitated by Leon Andrews, Director of Race, Equity, and Leadership, of National League of Cities. View highlights from the session.

This has been a transformative and rewarding partnership for LGW and our membership. Thank you to the following foundations and organizations for their support. 
Diane & Norman Bernstein Foundation
Consumer Health Foundation
Ellsworth-Turner Fund
Ford Foundation
Greater Washington Community Foundation
Corina Higginson Trust
Hill-Snowdon Foundation
Horning Family Fund
Leadership Greater Washington
Eugene & Agnes E. Meyer Foundation
Public Welfare Foundation
United Way of the National Capital Area
Washington Area Women's Foundation
Weissberg Foundation
Wells Fargo
A Wider Circle

Thank you to our National Philanthropy Partner, United Philanthropy Forum, for supporting the filming of this series.