Talking Safely and Listening Productively About Justice and Equity

The data are consistent: increasing racial equity and strengthening social justice remain challenges to our society. But to close gaps or disparities in racial equity, those involved with philanthropic organizations must be able to talk about the problem if they are to create opportunities to address them.

Barriers to progress include:

The terms “social justice” and “racial equity” often trigger emotional reactions which can get in the way of making progress. It’s typically difficult for African Americans and European Americans to talk about fairness and justice, especially on those occasions when they’re together.
It’s very easy for people – both Black and White – to feel threatened by the other. Or isolated, or dismissed. Talking out loud about inequity or injustice can put us at risk; we may each fear repercussions from our superiors at work, our neighbors at home, or the community we “represent.” The social and organizational pressures to be silent can be substantial, chilling progress.
Often, many people, especially White Americans, don’t even see the problem of disparities. White Americans are far more likely than Blacks to think that everything is working just fine, and to ignore the facts shown in virtually all the data showing unequal performance in how our systems and markets work. Complicating the problem, data presented by African American organizations are too easily dismissed by Whites as “suspect.”

Fortunately, there’s a growing art form for conducting difficult conversations. And while conversations about equity and justice are not always easy, they can set the stage for next steps.

Click on Promising Practices to see how these challenges can be addressed.

This page updated 11 August 2008