From The Doctrine of Discovery created by European monarchs in the 1400’s to legitimize the colonization of vast territories, to the 1867 Dred Scott Decision of the US Supreme Court that determined African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be American citizens, to the current privatization of the prison industrial complex; the intentional and consistent “building blocks” of racism and classism have constructed and maintained the inequitable status quo of our society.

As participants delve into these building blocks, they will be asked to make both personal connections and connections to the ethnic/racial/cultural group to which they belong. Which building blocks were “boosts” to their group and which were “burdens?” How were these building blocks manifested and at whose expense? By examining historical contexts, participants will gain clarity on so much of what we see happening in our society and have misinterpreted, ignored, or never learned.

Racing to Equity uses the Sue & Sue Cultural Competence Framework which consists of four components: Awareness, Knowledge, Skills, and Action/Advocacy. This learning experience will focus on the Awareness and Knowledge components and will arm participants with skills and talking points to advocate more successfully for our traditionally marginalized communities.