It challenges us in our view of the world and forces us to live in someone else’s shoes knowing full well that we’re not going to like what we find.

So I applaud you for reading this post. You’re showing up to the conversation.

And that’s where the work of anti-racism starts.

Anti-racism is a term that's becoming very popular. Essentially it means to oppose racist policies and practices.

I love it because it encourages us to take on the responsibility and burden of racial justice instead of saying, “Well, I’m not racist,” and leaving it at that.

Anti-racism also operates on the truth that racism is our status quo.

If we’re not actively working against racism, we’re likely promoting it in many ways, because the system we live in perpetuates it.

Racism shows up in many, many forms. It’s embedded in certain traditions, policies, and maybe even the way you do the hiring and decision making in your organization. You could just be perpetuating it as a result of living in an area that has very little diversity.

These aren’t reasons to get down on yourself or feel guilty. Anti-racism is all about acknowledging racism when you see it and working toward eliminating it.

Racism is just a part of the bigger bubble of discrimination.

Racism is a form of descriminiation specific to the color of one’s skin. Descrimination is unjust or prejudicial treatment regarding any category, such as race, age, sex, or disability.

History is ripe with humans finding ways of discriminating against one another again and again.

To be anti-discriminatory, you can apply all the same steps as anti-racism. But additionally, you want to recognize that pretty much whenever things change or something new is being introduced, there's an opportunity for new discrimination to emerge.

To be anti-discriminatory, you also have to be proactive.

This could look like talking to people about what they’re uncomfortable with, talking to people who have gone through a similar change before and asking for advice.

Anti-racism and anti-discriminiation go hand in hand. I want you to realize that it is okay to focus on anti-racism knowing that it is helping with the bigger picture of anti-discrimination.

Taking on the whole big picture of anti-discrimination in one fell swoop is probably more than you can do at once, especially if you have other things going on (I'm guessing that you do).

So I encourage you to just get started and get specific with your goals.

Diversity is simply the presence of difference.

Typically when we're talking about diversity, we're talking about it as a good thing, right? Differences are important and they add value to our communities and organizations.

Here are some quick action steps around promoting diversity.

Step 1:

Recognize how you are not diverse. You can't deal with your problem until you know you have a problem. Diversity on its own doesn't necessarily mean racial diversity. It could be age diversity, diversity of ideas, opinions, cultures, styles. There is an unlimited number of differences to potentially embrace.

Step 2:

Create a safe space. Before you try to add new people into the fold, try to get your existing people to be willing and feel safe to share their ideas. It doesn't matter if they're good ideas, it doesn't matter if they're going to work. It’s important to create a culture of respecting and valuing different ideas. This will set you up for bringing in new people.

Step 3:

Practice experiencing new things, especially if you've struggled with becoming more diverse. Just try different things! Flex that muscle of getting used to change without letting discomfort take over. The more you do it, the better you will be at diversity.

I’ve given you three big avenues for working toward equality. You might be wondering where to apply your focus.

The reality is, you could start anywhere because this is like the process of peeling an onion.

If you're going to be anti-racist, you're going realize at some point that you need to become more diverse.

As you build a more diverse community, you're going to uncover more racism and other forms of discriminaiton, and … you're going to be able to see yourself better… which is really good for growing a well functioning organization.

The more you have diverse ideas and viewpoints in your organization, the more you can see what your issues are, which is great for working towards eliminating racism and discrimination and it’s good for acheiving your mission and making an impact!

What’s not to love?

You know I'm a strong believer in having a really good next step, so my suggestion would be to start with anti-racism and here’s why:

- If you start with diversity (which often happens) by adding a new board member for example, you might be putting the burden of being anti-racist on the newcomer who's already unduly burdened by racism in the first place and then doubly disadvantaged because the new person rarely wants to be the changemaker. That’s how we end up with the token person of color.

- When you start with anti-racism, you'll be proactively drawn to diversity. If you start rooting out the racism within your organization, within your policies, practices, and habits, you will inevitably come to a point at which you realize that your lack of diversity is the result of racism. And that will move you to taking very proactive steps to being diverse.

- You're starting from a point of accountability. The change starts with you and you can't necessarily snap your fingers and be diverse today, but you can start making anti-racist choices right now. Maybe the first step is educating yourself, but that goes a very, very long way.

I think those are really great reasons to start with anti-racism and let it lead you to diversity.

As always if you'd like to have a personal one-on-one conversation about this, or any other topic about your nonprofit, you're welcome to apply for a call. I'd be happy to point you toward some excellent resources.