The thread of structural racism runs through almost every issue addressed by the social sector. In order to disentangle this thread and eliminate its far reaching impacts, organizations must be thoughtful and deliberate in advancing race equity as a core principle. This in turn requires access to knowledge and skill building resources at varying levels as organizations progress along the path to building institutional cultures that understand, affirm, and advance race equity. When organizations come to Equity In The Center (™) for support, many are eager to begin the work of dismantling white supremacy but lack a baseline understanding of where they are in their journey and how to continue.
EIC supports these organizations through curated learning pathways; working sessions; partner trainings; and skill building cohorts. All of these resources stem from the Awake to Woke to Work®: Building a Race Equity Culture™ framework that guides organizations through the Race Equity Cycle and operationalizing the work of advancing race equity within their organizations and across the sector. The Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check is our on-ramp to these resources..
About The Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™
The Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ (Pulse Check) is EIC’s interactive application designed to help organizations and teams track their progress along the path to building a Race Equity Culture™. The Pulse Check consists of a series of interactive questions designed to be discussed and completed in real time by a diverse team of representatives in an organization. It helps organizations identify trends in their culture, programs, operations, and governance and it produces a point-in-time score report that shows where an organization lies in the Race Equity Cycle® (Awake, Woke, or Work) paired with recommendations on practical ways for them to continue their journey.
Using The Pulse Check To Regularly Assess Progress
The Associated Recreation Council (ARC) is a Seattle-based nonprofit organization that works with Seattle Parks and Recreation to offer a variety of recreational and lifelong learning programs, classes, activities, preschool and school-age care, environmental learning opportunities, youth council and youth summer employment opportunities in the Seattle area.
In 2021, ARC’s Board of Directors revised their bylaws and the organization committed to completing an annual organizational equity audit to assess their race equity progress and efforts. They were already utilizing the Awake to Work to Work® framework to guide their organizational racial equity work; when Pulse Check was released, it felt like a synchronistic alignment. When we asked them why they decided to use our Pulse Check as an annual tool, they shared:
“Our commitment to racial equity is a value we strive to embed in every facet of our operations, but sometimes we are swept into white supremacy cultural norms that are counterproductive to our efforts. The annual touch point and process give us permission to slow down, reflect, and imagine a new future.”
Doing The Work
Building a Race Equity Culture™ involves transforming organizational culture, processes, and practices to eliminate racial disparities across the organization. This kind of deep transformational work rarely happens all at once. It takes ongoing, consistent, deep effort from all people from across the organization. The Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ asks organizations to gather a diverse team of people from their organization to complete the process together in person. The process is designed to spark meaningful conversations and challenging discussions, ultimately helping organizations understand where they lie on the Race Equity Cycle® – where they’re making progress and where they have room to grow.
For the past three years, the ARC team has gone through the process, working together to answer questions and identify trends in their organization related to culture, programs, operations, and governance. The most important part of the process, they say, is gathering together and having open conversations about tough topics:
“One of the most valuable components of this process is the conversations that occur during the assessment team meetings. You will learn a lot about your organization and the experiences of people engaged with your organization. Don’t rush through it and be prepared to take notes.”
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ARC team lead for the Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™
Disseminating the results across leadership and throughout the organization is essential to equipping their team to take actions that are consistent organization-wide. After completing the Pulse Check each year, the ARC team shares the full results of the Pulse Check with their internal leadership team, board of directors, and the Superintendent of their partner organization, Seattle Parks and Recreation.
The Results
Pulse Check recommendations are grouped under seven different and specific areas of change, or levers, encouraging organizations to take a measured and manageable approach to creating change rather than being overwhelmed with it all at once. Having levers spread out across different team members also helps reiterate that everyone has a part to play – this work cannot exist in silos if it’s to be effective.
ARC has been able to incorporate a number of structural changes and visualize movement toward a more equitable workplace in numerous areas measured in the Pulse Check. First, ARC utilized their results from the Pulse Check to develop a logic model and Theory of Change that are rooted in Race Equity Culture™ principles and levers. ARC has intensively and with intentionality, focused on assessing and educating and advancing racial equity and social justice (RESJ) over the past few years supported by the equity audit. As a result, ARC is positioned to have RESJ infused throughout its strategic plan rather than have it as a separate focus. The strategic plan then informs organizational wide planning as a whole, impacting programmatic and strategic decisions across the organization.
Since utilizing the Pulse Check to focus more intentionally on building a Race Equity Culture™, ARC has seen improvements in their Senior Leadership and Board of Director levels, impacting their leadership and decision making in meaningful ways. They’ve moved to create stronger accountability infrastructure by codifying their assessment process in their organization’s bylaws along with establishing a standing racial equity and social justice committee of their board of directors. As a way of setting expectations and providing an orientation to the organization’s values, leaders are explicit about the organization’s commitment to race equity and social justice when onboarding new board directors.
There are also many levers where ARC continues to find opportunities to make deeper progress. For example, as they work toward improving their results in the learning environment lever, they are utilizing the Awake to Woke to Work® framework to create a shared glossary of terms along with a racial equity and social justice orientation in their organization, which they likely would not have considered without the Pulse Check.
“The Pulse Check has become the standard for assessing our organization’s race equity work and a cornerstone in our efforts. It’s become a bit of a home base that we can return to throughout the year when we have questions or are seeking to make an impact in the area of one of the levers.”
Finally, it’s important to emphasize that the Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ is part of a larger strategy to realize an ongoing commitment to building and sustaining a Race Equity Culture™. ARC is a perfect example of utilizing the tool to thoughtfully understand where their organization is at in their journey, bolster that understanding with EIC’s Awake to Woke to Work® framework, and pair it with additional resources to inform their actions moving forward. Two resources ARC uses in partnership with the Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ are the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Racial Equity and Inclusion tools and ProInspire. Partnerships with organizations like these help move the needle forward for all of us and show that there are multiple steps to eliminating racial disparities in our organizations.
The Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check™ exists to hold up a mirror and show organizations where they are at in the process of building equitable organizational cultures. Associated Recreation Council exemplifies the importance of revisiting, reimagining, and re-focusing on this work, year after year, with an understanding that deep transformation does not happen overnight.No matter where you are on your journey, the Pulse Check can help your organization recognize disparities –sometimes for the first time– and then thoughtfully map out a path for change that is unique to your individual team and positioning.
More About Equity In The Center®
Equity In The Center works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems within the social sector to increase racial equity. We envision a future where nonprofit and philanthropic organizations advance race equity internally while centering it in their work externally.
Our Awake to Woke to Work® framework is relevant for your organization if you:
- Have some awareness that race equity is essential to driving impactful change within the social sector
- Want to play an active role in advancing race equity in your organization
- Lead, want to lead, or have been asked to lead race equity efforts within your organization
- Want to understand how to build a Race Equity Culture™ within your organization
If you find yourself interested in learning more about the resources we offer, getting involved with an upcoming event, or signing up to take the Pulse Check with your own team, visit us on our website, check out our research, or get in touch with us to learn more.
