Racial Justice Training Institute: Part 1
June 2015
Introduction, Syllabus & General Information
The Racial Justice Training Institute is grounded in a commitment to racial equity as an integral
and essential part of antipoverty advocacy and assumes that legal aid and public interest
lawyers are key to achieving important changes in their clients' communities. Through a
combination of online, onsite and blended learning activities over a seven-month period, the
Racial Justice Training Institute will assist civil legal aid and public interest lawyers in developing
or fine-tuning their capacities to engage successfully in racial justice advocacy within their daily
practices, organizations and communities.
Course Structure: The Institute takes place over six months: June – November 2015 and
includes three parts: Part 1: Online (June 1 – June 19, 2015); Part 2: Onsite in Chicago (June 23
– 26, 2015); Part 3: Online (July – October, 2015).
This Syllabus provides an overview of the initial online activities during Part 1 Online, June 1 –
June 19, 2015.
PART 1 Overview: Part 1 takes place during the weeks of June 1, June 8 and June 15, 2015;
these include a combination of independent and synchronous or “live” learning activities.
•
•
Independent learning activities include:
o “Independent Learning Modules” through which advocates review selected racial
justice content and skills.
o “Independent Equity Team Modules”, through which equity teams work together
to apply specific concepts and tools to their racial equity initiatives.
Live activities include a series of interactive webinars and facilitated small group
meetings on three consecutive Wednesdays: June 3, June 10 and June 17. These
activities take place through the Shriver Center’s online meeting platform between 11:45
a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT.
Overview of Activities: Following is a list of Part 1 activities. There is also a copy of this
document on the course website where you can access the more detailed information about
each activity. You should always read this detailed information before beginning an activity.
If you have any questions as you proceed with any of the assignments, please call or email
DeLaine Mayer at: [email protected] or ________. We want you to have a great
experience in the Institute and we are at your service to respond to any questions or issues that
arise. If you run up against technical problems or challenges with the course site, please feel
free to contact us. NOTE: All times are Eastern (ET).
©Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
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Racial Justice Training Institute – Part 1 Online
Racial Justice Training Institute: Part 1
Syllabus & Calendar of Activities
WEEK OF June 1, 2015
Independent Activities to Complete in Advance of June 3 Live Sessions
Get Acquainted with Online Course Site. Watch the Navigation video for an
overview of the course site.
Independent
Orientation About the RJTI. Review information about Racial Justice Training Institute
goals, learning outcomes, expectations & schedule of activities.
Module
Estimated
time – 75’
Introductions. Review cohort member profiles and faculty bios. Then
introduce yourself by responding to questions posted in the discussion forum.
Prepare for Live Sessions. Review instructions for preparing your computer to
participate in Live Sessions on June 3, June 10, and June 17.
Independent Introduction to Structural Racialization. Review introductory materials on
structural racialization and then join us in the discussion forum to share your
Learning
reactions, comments and questions about these.
Module
Estimated
time – 90’
1) Article: A Long History of Affirmative Action for Whites, an introduction to
the excerpt below from California Newsreel documentary, Race: the Power
of an Illusion.
2) Video: Excerpt from Part 3: The House You Live In, a section of Race: The
Power of an Illusion which describes how the legacy of various government
policies and practices have contributed to the significant racial wealth gap
we see today. (15 minutes)
3) Article: Advancing Racial Justice – A Legal Services Imperative, by Fran
Fajana and Camille Holmes in which they present results of racial justice
advocacy survey, provide key definitions, and call for greater conceptual
clarity among social justice advocates.
4) Article: Understanding Structural Racialization, by Professor john powell.
5) Video: Recorded presentation by Professor powell in which he provides an
historical context, introduction to the concepts of structural racialization
and an overview of tools to further understand and address structural
racialization. (40 minutes)
©Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
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Racial Justice Training Institute – Part 1 Online
Racial Justice Training Institute: Part 1
June 2015
Time
Live Sessions – Wednesday, June 3, 2015
11:45 –
12:45
Webinar 1 – Introduction and Vision. Provides an overview of the RJTI –
including guiding values and vision that inform all aspects of the Institute plus
advocacy framework and racial justice competencies around which the
sequence of Institute learning activities are organized. We also explore core
values related to and levels of transformation needed to achieve racial justice.
12:45 – 1:30
Facilitated Small Groups. Members introduce themselves, describe
characteristics of communities they serve, ways in which their organizations
address racial equity issues and their hopes for participating in the Institute.
1:30 – 1:45
Break
1:45 – 3:00
Webinar 2 – Structural Racialization. Provides an overview of structural
racialization concepts and tools with a particular focus on four levels of
racialization: internal, interpersonal, institutional and structural.
3:00 – 3:15
Break
3:15 – 4:15
Facilitated Small Groups. Cohort members apply four levels of racialization to
selected areas in which they work.
4:20 – 5:00
Webinar 3 – Intro to Social Cognition & Implicit Bias. Introduces concepts of
“cognition”, “social cognition” & “implicit bias”, explores concerns and
implications of social cognition and implicit bias for racial justice advocates, and
examines ways in which implicit bias impacts the various systems within which
we work.
©Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
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Racial Justice Training Institute – Part 1 Online
Racial Justice Training Institute: Part 1
Syllabus & Calendar of Activities
WEEK OF JUNE 8, 2015
Independent Activities to Complete in Advance of June 10 Live Sessions
Independent Equity team meeting: Equity teams meet by phone or in-person to discuss the
Equity Team following questions:
Module
• What are current strengths/challenges of your organization(s) in relation
to racial equity?
Estimated
time – 60’
•
What are your initial thoughts on racial equity issues to be addressed
through RJTI?
•
If successful in incorporating a racial equity framework within your
organization(s), what differences would you like to see in your
communities as a result?
Post a summary of your team meeting to the discussion forum.
About Social Cognition & Implicit Bias. Following up on concepts introduced in
Webinar 3 on Social Cognition and Implicit Bias:
•
Article: Review Implicit Bias: Overview by Equal Justice Society
•
Article: Select one article from Kirwan Institute’s Implicit Bias Review –
2013 to recommend to other cohort members.
•
Video: Review video E-Learning Lab: Unconscious Bias (6 minutes)
Independent •
Learning
•
Module
•
Estimated
time – 120’
Video: Review video clip from Dateline re Project Implicit (9 minutes)
Exercise: Take at least two IATs through the Project Implicit site
Share insights and experiences about these resources through the
discussion forum.
Introduction to Systems Thinking. Review resources on Systems Thinking, a
tool for understanding and addressing structural racialization:
•
Video: Recorded presentation on systems thinking by Professor john powell
(30 minutes)(this will be available by May 30)
•
Article: Systems Primer, Stephen Menendian, Kirwan Institute for Race &
Ethnicity.
•
Article: Racial Bias in American Foster Care, pg. 249 – 277.
©Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
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Racial Justice Training Institute – Part 1 Online
Racial Justice Training Institute: Part 1
Syllabus & Calendar of Activities
Week 2: Live Sessions, Wednesday, June 10, 2015
11:45 –
12:50
Webinar 4 – Systems Thinking. Provides a further introduction to systems
thinking. Drawing from the example presented through the article, Racial Bias
in American Foster Care (see Week 2 Independent Learning Module), we
review the systems thinking tools to identify tangible and intangible structures
contributing to structural racialization.
12:50 – 1:00
Break
1:00 – 2:00
Facilitated Small Groups. Cohort members apply the systems thinking tools to
selected racial equity issues.
2:00 – 2:30
Break
2:30 – 3:45
Webinar 5 – Community Lawyering. Provides an introduction to Community
Lawyering concepts and tools with a specific focus on community
understanding and relationship building.
3:45 – 3:55
Break
3:55 – 5:00
Facilitated Small Groups. Cohort members share experiences using
community lawyering practices within their organizations generally and
specifically in the racial justice context.
©Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
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Racial Justice Training Institute – Part 1 Online
Racial Justice Training Institute: Part 1
Syllabus & Calendar of Activities
WEEK OF JUNE 15, 2015
Independent Activities to Complete in Advance of June 17 Live Sessions
Independent
Equity Team
Module
Equity team meeting: Equity teams meet by phone or in-person to apply
systems thinking and community lawyering tools to racial equity issues in their
communities.
Estimated
time – 75’
Independent
Learning
Module
Racial Equity Advocacy Strategies. Readings to be confirmed; check the site in
advance of Week 3.
Estimated
time – 75’
Week 3: Live Sessions – June 17, 2015
11:45 – 1:00
Webinar 6 – Racial Equity Advocacy Strategies. Provides an overview of multiforum advocacy strategies to advance racial equity.
1:00 – 1:10
Break
1:10 – 2:00
Facilitated Small Groups. Cohort members explore selected advocacy
strategies as they relate to racial equity issues they hope to address.
2:00 – 3:30
Webinar 7 – Racial Equity Advocacy Solutions: Putting Theory into Practice.
Panelists describe racial equity initiatives in which they have been involved
through the lens of racial justice competencies and tools introduced so far.
3:30 – 3:45
Break
3:45 – 5:00
Facilitated small groups. Cohort members meet to review content and skills
introduced during Weeks 1-3 and prepare for Part 2: Onsite.
4824-6064-5659, v. 2
©Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
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Racial Justice Training Institute – Part 1 Online