Working Toward Racial Equity Publication Series

Impacts & Lessons Learned

Dear Colleagues,

The Working Towards Racial Equity (WTRE) project (previously funded by the National Science Foundation award 2005829) is a partnership between the Lawrence Hall of Science, Justice Outside, Restoring C.A.R.E, and Informing Change. Beginning in 2020, our team began working alongside practitioners and leaders of 20 outdoor and environmental science education (OESE) organizations to build capacity to advance more racially just, equitable, and inclusive organizations wherein professionals of color can thrive. Together, we have been working to design, facilitate, and understand the impacts of the WTRE project. We are pleased to share the Working Towards Racial Equity publication series, summarizing the work we’ve done, key findings, and lessons learned from the Working Towards Racial Equity project from 2020 through 2024. We are immensely proud of this work.

We recognize that in this moment, the value of justice, equity, and inclusion work is being questioned and attacked. Yet, this work remains imperative. We recall the words of Grace Lee Boggs, who says:

“Every crisis, actual or impending, needs to be viewed as an opportunity to bring about profound changes in our society. Going beyond protest organizing, visionary organizing begins by creating images and stories of the future that help us imagine and create alternatives to the existing system.”

― Grace Lee Boggs

(The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century)

With these words in mind, we hope that this series can provide a vision for the future and insights into what we have learned from those engaging deeply and authentically in the work of racial justice, equity, and inclusion.

In community, 

The Working Towards Racial Equity Team

Valeria F. Romero, Laura Rodriguez, Rena Payan, Aujaneé Young, Michael Arnold, Inti Chomsky, Corinne Calhoun, Alex Sanchez, Zoe Bell, Jedda Foreman, Kelly Grindstaff, Mo Henigman, Craig Strang, Evan Gatozzi, and Sierra Mathias

Executive Summaries of Publications Produced

The Working Towards Racial Equity Final Evaluation Report shares insights based on a multi-year evaluation that explores WTRE participant experiences in the program and their perceptions of how the WTRE program influenced individual-level and organizational-level changes. The report also provides a descriptive overview of the WTRE program model—one grounded in engaging participants in critical reflection,  interpersonal tools and concepts, and learning about systems change frameworks– and designed to support systems and organizational change efforts, as well as personal growth and healing. To read more, click here. 

Working Towards Racial Equity: Systems Change through Individual Transformation shares findings from a survey of WTRE program participants. The survey aimed to understand how the WTRE program model influenced participants’ perceptions of their organization’s practices, and promoted a sense of belonging, professional growth, and leadership opportunities. The findings affirm that people’s experiences are deeply tied to their identities (e.g., race, gender, class) and lived experiences, reinforcing the importance of asking who benefits from and who is harmed by equity change efforts. We additionally explore ways organizations might reimagine how they think about and understand belonging, based on the perspectives of professionals who identify as Black, Indigenous, or as a person of color.  To read more, click here. 

Working Towards Racial Equity: Exploring Systems Change in Environmental Learning offers findings from case studies that explore how three different outdoor and environmental science education organizations approached systems change efforts. Findings highlight that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach; rather each organization intentionally and carefully considered their organization’s specific context and their staff communities’ specific needs. That is, while all organizations addressed similar themes across broad topics like hiring and decision-making, organizations’ solutions were specific to each organization’s culture, values, and sociopolitical contexts, as well as the people within the organization. While findings also highlight the challenges and points of tension that emerged for organizations, this brief illuminates the breadth of incremental changes that can move an organization towards its goals. To read more, click here. 

20 Organizations, 3 Years: Insights on Organization-based Racial Equity work shares our learnings and reflections from working with 20 organizations over three years of the WTRE project. This brief is intended to highlight a selection of factors we believe are critical to supporting an organization’s capacity to advance racial equity. Most notably, we elevate the importance of establishing a meaningful culture of learning. In doing so, the organization and people within it are better positioned to engage in deep self-reflection; coalesce around shared values; cultivate an understanding of the relationship between racial equity and an organization’s mission; and build a supportive community of practice where interpersonal skills can be strengthened and barriers rooted in fear can be managed with clarity and undeterred strategies. To read more, click here. 

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2005829. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.