Addressing structural racism requires partners who have a common understanding of terms, history and community conditions disaggregated by race.  The organizations that were interviewed either found or developed training that met their goals and continue to train their expanding pool of partners.   One interviewee said that you want to be sure your partners are not going to stab you in the back when the issues get tough.  She sees education as the way to have her partners understand the deep-rooted issues and be ready to take the heat as they try to change entrenched policies and practices. 

A recurring challenge is that people can get caught up in training and do not move on to action.  Some people prefer to spend time learning and are hesitant or fearful to take action.  Also, training programs do not always include a clear path that leads people beyond their discussions toward an assessment of what steps to take to advance racial equity and how to get them done.  Each of these sites modified their training to be sure that it would lead to action. 

Training must include concrete examples of the impact of structural racism on people of color, of white privilege, and of the opportunities for change.  If all three are not there, people may miss the systemic element, may not see their place in this system, and may feel guilty and discouraged rather than eager to work toward change.