Karma Ruder, Center for Ethical Leadership



Topic/Question: Structuring hiring practices to embody racial justice.

Who’s Here (Name/Agency): Mollie Curran, Julie McFarland, Linda Rasmussen, Maggie Milcarek, Sylvia Fuerstenberg, Alia Peterson

Key discussion points raised:
· Drop off at various levels
· Hiring/board recruitment/promotions
· Interviewing practices and hw to personally accountable
· How to build political will and commitment
· What does it mean to center hiring on racial justice. How to attract people.
· What does intention look like for recruitment.
· Pre-requisites: POC, experience, money, leadership development, creating welcome tokenism as a barrier, changing value for assets

Strategies/tools for change:
· Linked-In, Facebook
· Internships – college network
· changing value for assets
· Churches/community centers with jobs
· Community-based dialogue
· Vocational placement programs within
· Where do we find resources of time, training
· Develop a network/list-serve of people committed to social network sites
· Employee referral programs with money
· Social networking site
· Desire for training resources/action steps
· Orientation training
· Creating mentorships/linkage/partnership
· A will and desire to develop competence

Action steps/planning:
None.



Topic/Question: Gatekeeping and “competency” – surfacing assumptions that keep it in place.

Who’s Here (Name/Agency): Margo Adair, Scott Pinegar, Julia Sterkovsky

Key discussion points raised:
· Do they want info?
· When decision is final?
· Systems set up standards
· Getting beyond trying find the “perfect fit”
· Open budgets in culture open to challenge
· Taboo to raise questions of power

Strategies/tools for change:
· Tried to create a culture where people can ask questions and challenge
· Importance of transparency
· Continuously churn through questions that surface gatekeeping that maintains status quo, e.g.: “Am I inspiring a culture open to challenges and accountability”

Action steps/planning:
· What’s open and what isn’t
· If anything won’t open, why?
· What am I afraid of?
· Job descriptions listing (?), with a (?) the (?) on process of what competency is
· Looking at who you identify with; looking for different perspectives rather looking for people who will agree with you



Topic/Question: For funders – what evidence shows that an entity is, in fact, culturally competent?

Who’s Here (Name/Agency): Dan Leahy, Josephine Tamayo-Murray, Jim Yearby, Bill Block, Heidi Schillinger, Theressa Lenear

Key discussion points raised:
· Is diversity training mandatory for all
· Are race and culture values in service plan
· Are there people of color represents at all levels
· Bilingual and multi-lingual staff
· What struggles in the organization going through – what conversations are going on and what changes are being made
· What has the leadership done to create a safe place where one needed changes and learning can take place
· Measuring whether the agency is going through a real process or a sham process. Can you define stages? Are there indicators of the stage.
· There is a difference between institutions and individuals. Individuals/stable institutions rely on policies and leadership.

Strategies/tools for change:
· Provide impact to fundees for RFPs
· Funders group increases emphasis on cultural competence

Action steps/planning:
· Having institutions go through process
· Ask MEDC and state commissions what it looks like


Topic/Question: How to make offerings more inclusive.

Who’s Here (Name/Agency): Joanne Conger, Janice Eng, Skye Schell, Jackie Jainga Hyllseth

Key discussion points raised:
· Don’t go with assumptions
· Reflect populations
· Converse on structural racism
· Finding partnership

Strategies/tools for change:
· Back door approach – coffee meetings
· Really listening to what the individual (sic)
· Acknowledging
· Build trust

Action steps/planning:
· Contact white allies/Kyla
· Consult with professionals
· Engage Board of Director


Topic/Question: Best practices in approaching gatekeeping

Who’s Here (Name/Agency): Emijah Smith, Heidi Schillinger, Sherelle Owens, Aaron Hartwell

Key discussion points raised:
· Benefits
· Fear
· Power relationship
· Marginalization
· Principles – personal
· Define gate-keeping

Strategies/tools for change:
· Try to find a way to approach person to refer a “great” workshop that generates good questions and dialogue
· Speaking directly to the situation
· Way (weigh?) out pro and con, be prepared for reaction, good or bad

Action steps/planning:
· Try it!
· Build allies


Topic/Question: How to remain humble in service.

Who’s Here (Name/Agency): Tanya McGee, John Deacon, ?

Key discussion points raised:
· What are our intentions in service
· How do we maintain connection to root causes of barriers/seeing the person
· ? ? ? at ? own ? privilege

Strategies/tools for change:
· Setting time and space for dialogue about change
· Having a conversation as opposed to following a script
· Find ways to know the whole person you are serving, i.e., possible visiting their homes and communities

Action steps/planning:
· Go to trainings with diverse communities
· Visit homes of children
· Secondary trauma trainings
· Engage with communities to learn their lens


Topic/Question: How to reach out and expand who is involved in the conversations about race and leadership and gatekeeping.

Who’s Here (Name/Agency): Rachel Rosenman, Lillian Hochstein, Roger Erskine, Caitlin Esworthy, Margaret Boddie

Key discussion points raised:
· What are the consequences of not having these conversations?
· How are the top and bottom of the organization connected – can you really deliver on your values?
· How do you motivate people to participate in the conversation?
· Hand-picking people who share these values

Strategies/tools for change:
· Bring questions for the outside to motivate the conversations – “Our funding sources want to know…”
· Bring in an outside person to help organization reflect on the needs of the organization and help folks reflect on these issues – find the motivational niche that will captivate your intended audience


Action steps/planning:
None

Topic/Question: How do we design services that address the “whole person” giving race/culture its proper place?

Who’s Here (Name/Agency): Irene – Solid Ground; Kay – Sr. Services; Gretchen – Sr. Services; Karma – Center for Ethical Leadership; Evelyn – Discussion Leader (Catholic Housing Services)

Key discussion points raised:

· Clients should be made comfortable and relaxed beginning at point of entrance.
· An organization could look at all of its programs in each department and determine demographical makeup of service recipients and adjust services to service recipient’s racial/cultural makeup.
· Organizations could be more open to asking “how do we meet the needs of our service recipients” rather than forcing them to conform to the organization’s structure.
· It really comes down to staff training:
o How do we approach service delivery?
o How can we change our service delivery model so that it is not so mechanical?
· Important to look at people on a one-on-one bases and work to create relationships and mutual respect.
· Important to build trust and to create time for their stories and to share their gifts.
· Learn to listen to the stress levels.
· Seek out “cultural guides” to help us learn.

Strategies/tools for change: (See above)
Action steps/planning:


Additional notes from the debrief :

Topic: How do you address gate keeping in the disciplinary process:

Design jobs to succeed – be clear about expectations
Improving performance - support success
Open process – have transparency
Creating fairness and trust in management
Consistent implementation

Topic: How do ethnic based non-profits address being co-opted by mainstream organizations?

What gets funded?
Collaborations as co-opting.
Institutional gate keeping
Funders’ use of language to distort/alter/measure “evidence” of cultural competence