“Freedom Is The Path And The Destination” – Tammy Johnson
This exclusive session comes to you due to requests by UUSJ’s general membership for more training and educational programming, specifically for more racial justice engagement, and to explore implications for our policy efforts.
Though often used interchangeably, equality and equity are quite different. If fairness is the goal, equality and equity are two processes through which we can achieve it. Equality means everyone is treated the same way, regardless of individual differences. Equity means everyone is provided with whatever they need to succeed. In an equality model, a coach gives players the same shoes. In an equity model, the coach gives all of his players shoes that are their size and fit their feet. [Definition from RiseToWin.org]
Workshop facilitator Tammy Johnson has developed a learning approach centered on Culture Shift Guideposts that UUSJ feels will help enrich the work of our board, policy teams, and general membership. Tammy is a writer and equity consultant living in Oakland, California; she has written for the Christian Science Monitor, The Huffington Post, and Colorlines.com. Tammy has directed electoral and issue campaigns around living wage ordinances, public education, welfare, and electoral reform and spent a decade advancing racial equity as a trainer, writer, and public speaker.
The workshop series will be of particular interest to active social justice committee participants for their churches and especially those individuals engaging in solidarity with impacted communities, frontline communities, Sacrifice Zones, and generally, Widening the Circle of Concern for their social justice work or UU community.
Using Culture Shift Guideposts is a means of intentionally shifting away from the oppressive norms in our organizations, strategies, collaborations, and personal development. The Guideposts address structural, institutional, and interpersonal power dynamics in the areas of storytelling, context setting, role validation, and practice.
The workshop series provides three 90-minute workshops:
Session One: The Landmarks
Equity, intersectionality, and liberation are concepts that have become part of the popular lexicon, appearing in everything from mission statements to memes. This session explores what it means to activate them as landmarks, as a means of plotting a course toward a new way of working together. We will discuss why these concepts are essential and how they appear in our work. Then we will begin the process of creating Equity Maps.
Session Two: From Anti-Blackness to Black Liberation
This session provides a framework for understanding anti-Blackness and Black liberation. The session includes a discussion of how anti-Blackness shows up for different groups and the role of liberation in this context. Participants of every race and ethnicity, including Black leaders and staff, are encouraged to attend, as this topic will be addressed from various perspectives.
Session Three: Culture Shift Guideposts
Culture Shift Guideposts are a means of intentionally shifting organizational behavior patterns away from the dominant culture’s oppressive norms and moving toward equity-based practices. The Guideposts address structural, institutional, and interpersonal power dynamics in the areas of storytelling, context setting, role validation, and practice. In addition to learning about the tool, participants will have an opportunity to practice applying the Guideposts and to identify areas of work in their Equity Maps.