This self-paced online learning module provides an introduction to Step 3+ of the Racial Equity Tool: Engaging with Communities and Beyond.  This 35-40 minute module includes a certificate of completion at the end of the course.  (Note: This is a pilot version to test for functionality in the LMS system.)

Race Forward’s Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE) aims to provide resources and tools to empower government professionals to be proactive advocates for racially equitable outcomes within their organizations and communities. The GARE Racial Equity Tool serves as a framework for discerning if policies, practices, and procedures are contributing to inequitable outcomes. The Racial Equity Tool, Step 3+: Engaging with Communities and Beyond module can help you identify and address inequities experienced by communities.  The "Step 3+" in the title of this module is intended to note that while Engaging with Communities is in Step 3 of the RET, that best practices for engaging with communities is throughout a Racial Equity Tool process.

The Learning Objectives for this course are:
1. Explain the value of engaging communities as essential to racial equity work.
2. Recognize the purpose of engaging communities throughout the Racial Equity Tool process.
3. Describe the importance of knowing the history of government and race in your jurisdiction.
4. Apply the Movement Strategy Center's Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership.
5. Identify activities that government can use to share power with communities.
6. Describe actions government employees can take to build and maintain deeper partnerships and relationships with communities.

A few notes:
* Recommended prerequisite courses to help you better understand the context for this course:
      1. The Advancing Racial Equity online course is a prerequisite for completing online modules on the components of the Racial Equity Tool.  (If you've taken this course at a previous time in the GARE Learning Center, please let us know at gareselfpaced@raceforward.org so we can check our records.)  
      2. The Overview of the Racial Equity Tool course is also a prerequisite for all of the Racial Equity Tool online modules, as it helps provide context/framing for all of the RET modules.
      3. The Shifting to an Equity Mindset (Parts 1 and 2) courses will also be prerequisites for all the Racial Equity Tool online modules once the development phase of these courses are complete.

* Completion of this brief self-paced online module is part of a larger series of steps of the Racial Equity Tool methodology: the Racial Equity Tool's Desired Results, Data, Engaging with Communities, Analysis & Strategies, Implementation Planning, and Evaluation, Accountability, and Communication.  Many of these modules are currently in development; please keep an eye out for future self-paced courses in the GARE Learning Center, such as additional online modules on the components of the Racial Equity Tool.

* All of these self-paced online modules cover knowledge-based learning, which is only a first step in a larger process toward applying the skills of the Racial Equity Tool methodology on the job.  If you are seeking further support, such as in-person training and/or coaching for employees of your local, regional, or state agency, we invite you to fill out Race Forward's Intake Form in a new tab). You may also email intake@raceforward.org for any questions related to in-person racial equity training, coaching, and other services.

This is a brief (~20 min) self-paced online learning module which provides an introduction to the GARE Approach to institutional-level change for racial equity, known as "Visualize, Normalize, Organize, and Operationalize".  (Note: A downloadable Certificate of Completion is available once this course is completed.)

As racial equity practitioners, you hold the power to reshape the future for the better and ensure equity, justice, and opportunity for everyone in our communities. Race Forward’s Government Alliance on Race & Equity (GARE) Approach to Organizational Change will help you develop strategies and actions that reduce racial inequities and improve outcomes for all groups. The GARE Approach can help facilitate organizational and systems-level changes that lead to equitable outcomes in our communities. 

The Learning Objectives for this course are:
1. Identify the four components of the GARE Approach to Organizational Change for racial equity.
2. Match actions with each component of the GARE Approach (Visualize, Normalize, Organize, and Operationalize).
3. Explain how the GARE Approach supports organizational change for racial equity.
4. Categorize actions jurisdictions have taken, can take, or will take to support organizational change in their jurisdictions through each of the four components of the GARE Approach. 

This is a brief (~30 min) self-paced online learning module which provides an overview of GARE's Racial Equity Tool, the use of which supports implementation of institutional-level changes in government for racial equity. (Note: A downloadable Certificate of Completion is available once this course is completed.)

People working in government have the power to change practices and reduce barriers to ensure equity, justice, and opportunity for all. The Racial Equity Tool is a methodology that helps jurisdictions design institutional-level processes for integrating racial equity concepts and practices into the work of government, with the goal of racially equitable outcomes for all groups.  The Racial Equity Tool is an example of an institutional-level strategy that falls under the "Operationalize" category of the GARE Approach for institutional-level change for racial equity.

The course Learning Objectives are:
1. Explain the rationale for using the Racial Equity Tool.
2. Describe circumstances in which one would use the Racial Equity Tool.
3. Identify the six steps of the Racial Equity Tool methodology.
4. Identify the central questions to be answered when a data-informed and stakeholder participatory process cannot be undertaken.
5. List potential work projects where the Racial Equity Tool could be applied.

Please note that completion of this brief module of the Overview of the Racial Equity Tool is just the first step in a larger process for developing a conceptual understanding and subsequent application of a racial equity methodology. This module is not intended to replace a more in-depth training on the Racial Equity Tool, which requires further training. GARE is in the process of developing standalone online modules for each of the Racial Equity Tool steps/components in the next two years. In addition, if your jurisdiction is interested in in-person training on the Racial Equity Tool, information is provided at the end of this course for contacting the appropriate personnel.

GARE's Racial Equity InSight is a quarterly curated selection of resources reflecting the current racial equity landscape across the nation. We aim for this snapshot to support deepending racial equity practice and faciliate connections among GARE racial equity practitioners and beyond.

This quarterly scan reflects the continued commitment to center racial equity in government so that our public institutions serve everyone. Racial equity practitioners are transforming what it means to govern for the public good in our country. GARE's members are ensuring accountability, deepening participation by those impacted by systemic racism, creating robust transparency practices, and advancing distributive justice with public resources. These practices taking root in government are an essential foundation for building a vibrant and resilient multiracial democracy that gives us all the freedom to thrive.

"GARE's Racial Equity InSight is a quarterly curated selection of resources reflecting the current racial equity landscape across the nation. We aim for this snapshot to support deepending racial equity practice and faciliate connections among GARE racial equity practitioners and beyond.

In this issue, we have uplifted artistic and creative approaches to distilling racial equity concepts and strategies. In the section, “Deepening Our Practice,” find resources for strengthening data and evaluation tools such as racial equity impact assessments and economic dashboards."

This 2015 report produced by Jessica King for the Center for Social Inclusion details research findings about the importance of talking about race explicitly and can be used to inform communications strategies for a range of issues, from housing to education to health care and beyond. 

With small and medium businesses supporting nearly half of the U.S. workforce, local and regional government actors are focused on alternative solutions to fluctuations in the economy—compounded by the effects of COVID-19—in underserved communities which are disproportionately of color (Small Business Trends, 2021). Amid ongoing uncertainty and their budget constraints, local communities and major stakeholders are asking: How can we craft effective and equitable small business recovery plans? This case study examines the potential for employee ownership models to address the racial wealth gap, the types of employee ownership models available to local governments and community stakeholders, the strengths/ weaknesses of each model, and recommendations made by advocates and strategies for implementation.

The Government Alliance on Race and Equity, Ground Works Consulting, and the Association of Bay Area Governments present Advancing Racial Equity in Housing, Land, and Development, A Toolbox for Racial Equity Pracittioners in Government. This toolbox includes materials for local government staff and their community partners to embed racial equity in housing and planning agencies’ structures, policies, and practices. Materials include conceptual frameworks and the tools and best practices to apply these frameworks in a local government setting. The primary audience for the toolbox is racial equity practitioners within local housing, planning, and community development agencies with some understanding of racial equity concepts and strategies and a desire to learn more about how to apply them to housing and land use contexts. It is designed for practitioners to begin to use the toolbox’s resources with other colleagues and community partners.

"GARE's Racial Equity InSight is a quarterly curated selection of resources reflecting the current racial equity landscape across the nation. We aim for this snapshot to support deepending racial equity practice and faciliate connections among GARE racial equity practitioners and beyond.

This issue includes resources such as: guidance on writing an organizational solidarity statement, identifying racial equity strategies in procurement processes, and methodology for structural racism research. "

GARE's Advancing Racial Equity in Government Online course is for government employees who want to begin their work as racial equity practitioners in government and the public sector. The self-paced online course is designed to create a shared understanding of key concepts like: 

• The history of racism in the United States 
• The 4 levels of racism, with an emphasis on institutional and structural racism  
• Implicit and explicit bias 
• Racial equity 
• The role of government in advancing racial equity 
• Actions you can take in your workplace to advance racial equity 

This self-paced online course includes video, audio, quizzes, readings, and recorded presentations. A personal learning journal is designed to spur individual reflection and retention of core concepts. Enrollment is complemented by an online peer learning community where you can ask questions, comment and reflect with others taking the course and build lasting connections with peers working toward racial equity in public service.  

The overall course typically takes up to 8 hours to complete. Each learning module includes an estimated amount of time. We recommend scheduling up to 2 hours a week to complete this course over the course of a month.