Community leaders recognize that racially disparate outcomes harm all community members and they seek to understand and change the causes of these persistent inequities.  Addressing the institutional and structural racism behind these inequities means focusing on the levers of change, not addressing every incident of racism.  This is quite different than diversity training or human/civil rights advocacy.  Distinctions about work that seeks to break down structural racism include:

• Understanding, educating others and addressing structural or institutional racism needs to be led by a significant community institution or government.   On the other hand, a community member or small community organization could take the lead on diversity training or advocacy focused on a more narrow issue.
  

• Effective work to address structural or institutional racism requires multiple partners – or levels of government – to make headway.

• A project addressing structural or institutional racism requires a convener that has the reputation and clout in the community to bring people to the table.

• Partners need to be educated in structural/institutional racism, not just diversity training.  In fact, people who have spent a lot of time talking about diversity may complain that they are weary of the subject and discouraged by the lack of progress. They come to the structural racism work already frustrated and exhausted from earlier projects.