NRCDV Logo
  • Adult Children Exposed to Domestic Violence
  • Runaway & Homeless Youth Toolkit
  • Prevent Intimate Partner Violence
  • Violence Against Women Resource Library
  • Domestic Violence and Housing Technical Assistance Consortium
  • Domestic Violence Awareness Project
  • National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
Leave This Site
Leave

img-user-picture.png

 Create an account to save and access your bookmarked materials anytime, anywhere.

  create account  |   login

An Online Resource Library on Gender-Based Violence.

Organizational Culture: Centering Racial Equity

The movement to end domestic and sexual violence has a long history of marginalizing and silencing the voices of women of color. In order to end gender-based violence and other forms of injustice and create true social transformation, domestic and sexual violence organizations need to center the needs of marginalized and underserved communities, particularly survivors of color. This means building organizations that center racial equity in every aspect of the work, which requires cultural shifts. Nonprofits need to cultivate practices that honor diverse cultures, lived experiences, identities, and traditions, as well as create brave spaces for individuals to fully show up as their whole selves. Resources in this section explore ways in which nonprofits can work to dismantle structural racism and promote racial equity within their own organizations.

Transforming the Gender-Based Violence Movement: Increasing BIPOC Representation and Actualizing Accountability

In 2018, NRCDV embarked on a research study to understand the dynamics of racial inequity in coalition leadership advancement within the gender-based violence movement. Specifically, we sought to understand why there continues to be an overrepresentation of white women in coalition leadership positions, despite multiple field-level interventions and trainings. The results from this study became the foundation for a deep collaboration with a multi-generational group of innovators of color who are leaders in the gender-based violence (GBV) movement. Collectively, we are actively working on a project to address the institutional and systemic issues that maintain racial disparities in leadership advancement and create ongoing barriers for People of Color to thrive (not only survive) in the GBV field. Learn more:

The Overrepresentation of White Women's Leadership in the Movement to End Gender-Based Violence

This publication, authored by Dr. Nkiru Nnawulezi, provides an overview of research findings from the Transforming the Gender-Based Violence Movement: Increasing BIPOC Representation and Actualizing Accountability Project (formerly named the Women of Color in Coalition Leadership Project). It explores why racial inequities exist in movement leadership and outlines 14 ways to respond to these inequities. 

Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter for Nonprofits

Embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion as organizational values is a way to intentionally make space for positive outcomes to flourish, whether in the nonprofit capacity building or public policy spheres. This webpage from the National Council of Nonprofits explores why racial equity needs to be centered in all aspects of our work, and offers resources and tools for practice and discussion within nonprofit organizations.
Acts to Counter Historical Racism & Oppression: Dismantling White Supremacy Culture

HERE and there: An open letter to white women in the movement to end gender-based violence by Arlene Vassell (July 2020)

Dear White Women: Welcome. I’m glad you are HERE. Let’s talk about here and over there.
For years white feminism has waged a war against Black women, Black men, Black children, Black babies and our Black communities. With too many causalities to name them all. It wasn’t televised, it wasn’t video-taped, but the pain and scars remain visible in the lunch rooms and board rooms over there. Those most impacted have been silenced on the margins. Like my sister Lina Juarbe Botella would say, on the margin of the margins. You know them well. You should call them by their names. Say Their Names. All Black Lives Matter. So, Say Their Names.

The Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture

This page, an excerpt from Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups, lists characteristic of white supremacy culture that show up in our organizations, including perfectionism, sense of urgency, defensiveness, quantity over quality, and more. The page explains why these characteristics are harmful and offers antidotes to help dismantle white supremacy culture.

Organizational Assessment Tools and Resources

Assessing organizational culture and structure is a key step in dismantling harmful practices that perpetuate racism and building an organization based on racial equity. This page from Racial Equity Tools includes resources about the processes of engaging in organizational racial equity assessments, tools and examples of organizational assessments.

Hey, you got a little racism stuck in your teeth

We can’t create change in areas of injustice if we are afraid to have honest conversations with each other. This article addresses the fact that advancing social justice discussions and finding solutions requires nonprofit organizations to admit our mistakes and keep working to improve.
Acts to Value All: Building a Culture of Racial Equity

Recommendations & Strategies that Further Women of Color’s Advancement

In order to address white supremacy and racism, movement leadership must recognize the historical contributions of women of color, create supportive equitable work environments that emphasize anti-racist practices, and maintain accountability structures. NRCDV recommends the 11 data-driven strategies listed in this document to further women of color’s advancement.

Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture

This publication examines how social justice organizations can identify the personal beliefs and behaviors, cultural characteristics, operational tactics, and administrative practices that accelerate measurable progress as they work to build an organizational culture that centers racial equity.

Addressing Racial Equity With an Organizational Change Lens

Organizations ready to address and embrace racial equity must first examine how race interacts with all aspects of organizational culture, from board governance, to leadership and management, to staffing and talent management, to day-to-day work flow. While not an exhaustive list, this webpage outlines four simple strategies for moving the needle on organizational change efforts intended to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Organizational Capacity Building

This page provides resources and tools to grow organizations that can sustain racial equity work, with attention to their internal processes as well as their capacities to work on equity.

Building a Culture of Trust

Workplace discussion on issues such as racism, ageism, and heteronormativity can be difficult even in circumstances where people have strong relationships and can assume goodwill. This document provides guidance to help organizations build connections that can foster trust; engage in the development of strong teams; and promote communication and development opportunities between and among staff when embarking on or building up their equity efforts.

Strategies to Recruit, Hire, and Sustain Diversity in the Workplace

While there is strong empirical confirmation that effectively recruiting, hiring, and retaining a diverse staff is positively correlated with increased organizational performance, many studies and surveys show that many organizations struggle to do so. This report offers suggestions for a more comprehensive recruitment, interview, and selection processes and provides a primer to think about and redesign the existing structures that impede inclusion and equity in the workplace and to create the foundation needed to sustain diversity.

Centering Racial Equity in Measurement and Evaluation: Emerging Lessons and Guidance from Human Service Nonprofits

Many nonprofit organizations that provide direct human services are exploring how racial equity and inclusion (REI) and performance measurement collectively inform decision-making and strategies that affect their core mission. Starting from this mission orientation, organizations can benefit from guidance on operationalizing racial equity values within their measurement and evaluation work and acknowledging the systemic barriers that influence client outcomes.