Community Action Agencies leading the response to Structural Racism

Studies of projects addressing structural racism always highlight the importance of effective leadership.  Success requires a convener that can attract political, business, education and community leaders to the project.  The convener needs to be a significant community institution or government agency so that it has the institutional capacity to work on this for a long period of time.  The convener needs to be willing to educate its own board and staff and make the internal changes that are needed to foster and celebrate diversity.  Addressing structural racism means focusing on the levers of change, not addressing every incident of racism. 

CAAs know how to develop alliances

 CAAs are governed by tripartite Boards that are diverse economically, racially and socially.  Board members are leaders in the community and their networks cover all the institutions that must be part of significant policy change. CAAs know how to work effectively with many partners, building the coalitions that advocate for equal opportunity and a second change for the poor and minorities. 

CAAs are significant community institutions

Most CAAs have been in business for decades.  Over the years, they have built organizational capacity through hard work and shared learning from others in the community action network.  CAAs are one of the most important organizations in their community, if not the most important organization, for services and advocacy for minorities and the poor. 

CAAs are educators

CAAs monitor their communities and track demographic changes and recognize emerging populations.  Then, they look for solutions and adapt their programs to respond to these changes.   Through these practices, an Agency becomes more comfortable with learning about new ideas.  Training on structural racism and developing and enforcing policies and practices that honor a diverse customer base, staff and board can be natural steps for a learning organization that wants to model racial justice.     

CAAs are change agents

Successful projects to address structural racism must identify the key public policies and institutional practices that need reform.   CAAs have commissioned research on many topics that relate to the lives of the poor and minorities.  They know how to advocate for equal opportunity, fair housing, environmental justice and safe neighborhoods.  Structural racism is a lens through which all these issues may be understood and the history and power behind these policies may be identified.  Once the principles of structural racism are understood, CAAs are able to move the projects forward.

At the seven Racial Equity and Economic Security (REES) sites, progress continues.  Several of these sites are using 2009 Stimulus Act funds to support research and program design and implementation to reach their racial equity goals.  They have learned a lot about how to share ideas on structural racism.  And they have built strong alliances in their communities with people who are eager to move forward with the projects.  The problems are too large for one agency alone.  And the problems require a capable, confident and committed leader.

By Mary Virtue, Project Director of Racial Equity and Economic Security Project

The Promise: The Magazine of the Community Action Partnership Fall 2009