Liberation Through Systems Change

Anti-racist and anti-oppressive systems change within organizations and community spaces requires a revisioning and shifting of neo-liberal scripts of conducting racial audits, internal surveys, recommendation reports that often tell the story or provide the data of oppression and harm that many individuals within organizations have been saying prior to hiring someone like me to support systems change. 

 As an equity and liberation consultant my desire is to ensure that systems change includes building an ecosystem within organization that allows for self sustaining practices and culture shifts within the fabric.  My goal is to create solutions with organizations that are unique rather than taking cookie cutter approaches. 

For over ten years I have learned that the best approach for systems change within organizations includes an individualized approach to the needs of the organization.

One size models and best practices fall short at times because each ecosystem within an organization is so unique.

You may be wondering, what my approach is to working within organizations, groups, and collectives that are seeking to create the conditions of equitable change!

The methodology and teaching that supports my framework as an anti-racist consultant include incorporating principles found in South African philosophy  UBUNTU-  which offers a paradigm for  existing in harmony and peace. Ubuntu is a philosophy that invites us to think about our collectivity in the world. In application to systems change, Ubuntu offers principles that invite decolonial transformative visioning for anti-racist, anti-oppressive, healing centered engaged that is foundational  

Below are some key tenets of UBUNTU as a philosophical practice

In addition to centering the practice of UBUNTU, I also invite the following practices within accompaniments 

• Access, equity, anti-oppression, decolonial approach

• Flexibility: I value adaptability, responding to changing needs, and have found this flexibility to set me apart from others

• Curiosity: this keeps me and my work open, whimsical and ensures that I approach challenges not as obstacles, but as opportunities to innovate and be creative.

If you are interested in working together, here are some questions to consider. I want you to answer the following questions 

1. What are the working conditions of equity deserving groups in your organization? Have you sought feedback  in ethical *non-exploitative* ways?

2. Are key decision makers within the organization, collective or group on board with seeking accompaniment around racial justice and equity from an outside consultant?

3. What resistance do you anticipate when embarking on this journey?

4. What are you willing to risk in order to gain sustainable change within your organization/ collective?