Toolkit
A selection of top resources to support you on your race equity and LTR journey
LTR Learning Library
Foundational Books and Videos
There are so many great resources; it can be hard to know where to start.
We recommend EVERYONE ground themselves in these books and videos.
The Sum of Us
– Heather McGhee
So You Want to Talk about Race
– Ijeoma Oluo
The 1619 Project
– Nikole Hannah Jones
Racism Has a Cost for Everyone
– Heather McGhee, TED Talk
Allegories on Race and Racism
– Camara Jones, TED Talk
To dig deeper and find more great content, visit Richlandlibrary.com/race.
Vocabulary
As you build your team and begin to design your program, the group will need to define a common language and make choices about key terms.
DEI, REDI, JEDI, What’s the Difference?
As race equity work continues to evolve, it is important to keep abreast of all of the names that describe the work. This is a blog post by consultant Erin-Kate Escobar discussing some of names used for race equity work.
A shared glossary of racial equity terms by MP Associates, Center for Assessment and Policy Development, and World Trust Educational Services, October 2021.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Glossary of Terms
A list of key social justice terms from Pacific University in Oregon.
Assessments
We recognize that organizations come to this work from a variety of places and may decide to take a deep, intentional look at internal practices, policies, cultural norms, power dynamics, and other facets of operations.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Antiracism Toolkit
from the Oregon Library Association — a comprehensive resource for organizations on an REI journey with a focus on libraries. Includes an EDI Antiracism Readiness Survey.
The National Juvenile Justice Network’s curated list
has options to meet the varied needs of organizations with tools from the Western States Center, the Anne E. Casey Foundation and more.
Let's Talk Race program directory
The crux of Let’s Talk Race is small circles of dialogue that spark courageous conversations. We’ve created a suite of complementary programs that may be a good fit for your group or organization.
Community conversations
Visit the Getting Started, Facilitation Modules and Conversation Guide pages to learn how to do it yourself based on our experience and methods.
Let’s Talk Race book and media groups
Use books and media as a shared experience to introduce conversations about race, equity and inclusion. The format is similar to Community Conversations, with a book or movie of your choosing at the center. You can also start with these ready-to-go DIY Book Clubs: How to Be an Anti-Racist and Biased.
Dinner Table Talks
Dinner Table Talks create the opportunity for families to have important conversations centered around books. These discussions build our capacity for talking about race and define our roles in fighting against both every day and systemic racism. Check out an example and consider creating your own.
#OwnVoices
#OwnVoices initiative is a space for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) staff members to provide thoughtful and well-written book reviews, book lists and blog posts. These posts work to promote authors of marginalized groups and their work about the life experiences of these under-represented groups through their own perspective. The series invites our customers to learn one more way we are continuing the conversation in our community and speaking our voice. Check out an example and consider whether a staff blog might be right for you.
Diverse Books for Families
Consider curating book club sets for families to share together. These intentional collections are designed to help children, teens and caregivers discover a diverse range of people and lives through books and have meaningful conversations about these stories. Check out examples of these book club sets.
Resources for Facilitators
Quick reads
Tips to improve your facilitation skills
Facilitation training programs
Options for formal training to deepen your practice
Facilitating Racial Equity Conversations
Maybe you were recently appointed to an equity committee. Maybe you’re a facilitator looking to deepen your skills and hold conversations about inclusion, exclusion and racial injustice.
Executive Certificate in Facilitation
Learn how to design and facilitate more effective gatherings to draw out the unique contributions of all participants, build consensus and foster action that leads to results.
Strategies for Effective Facilitation
Strategies for Effective Facilitation: Online gives educators the time and tools necessary to strengthen their skills in group facilitation.
Center for Equity and Inclusion
Foster personal growth and develop the facilitation skill-set needed to lead complex and often challenging conversations, trainings or coaching sessions.
Self-care resources
How to support others while caring for yourself
The National Museum of African American History
When we listen to our bodies, hearts and minds, and consider input from trusted friends, we can find resiliency and renew our lives and work.
Self Care Tool for leaders doing REDI work
Doing equity work can be incredibly fulfilling; it can also be physically and mentally exhausting. This type of work, like design, requires a high level of empathy...
How to support others while caring for yourself
Create safe spaces for yourself. In my professional life, “creating a safe space” for others is key to being able to do work in spaces where trauma and inequity lives...
Project Support & Logistics
Getting started
Use the project charter, steps to assemble your team and action plan to set your project up for success.
Fundraising
Richland Library leverages community partnerships to fund a variety of race, equity and inclusion centered programs and initiatives. By researching and aligning with compatible corporate and foundation funders, we are able to foster community cohesion, while also furthering the library's social justice and racial equity commitment.
Measuring success
The success of a LTR conversation can be defined in many ways. From the facilitator's perspective, one might wonder: Was I prepared enough? Did participants feel that their voices were heard? What could I have done differently? From a participant's perspective, one might wonder: Did I talk too much? Why didn't I know that before? Do I want to attend another conversation?
We have all felt at times that we could have done a little better, and how we respond is what has contributed to the success of LTR conversations at Richland Library. When we reflect and converse at the end of each conversation, we learn how to move forward.
Facilitator
self-assessment
self-assessment
We know facilitating a conversation about race can be challenging! There is so much going on at every moment, so we created this self-assessment to help you reflect on each conversation. We encourage you to go back into the facilitation guides to refresh on any area you want to focus on next time.
Glows and Grows
Every LTR conversation is unique! As facilitators, we are on an unending journey to learn as we go. We have found taking the time to debrief after a conversation about race is invaluable and sets us up well for the next one.
Participant survey
There is no better way to measure the success of a LTR conversation than hearing from the participants themselves. We have found this survey offers valuable insights into the participants' conversation experience.
Want to hear directly from the Let's Talk Race team?
View our video library to watch exclusive content.