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Before you start: review the Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression pathway to learn about the terms and concepts used in this recommended practice.
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
The goal of anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice is to eliminate all forms of racism, discrimination, and oppression at all levels, and to redistribute power and equity.
It takes a lot of work with a lot of stakeholders and many moving pieces.
The purpose of an Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Action Plan is to:
An action plan includes strategic goals with specific, actionable items for all levels of an organization (i.e., leadership, human resources, staff members, services and programs)1,2. It lays out who is responsible for what, how long it will take, and how progress will be tracked.
To be meaningful and sustainable, organization leadership teams have to commit to the values of anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice. This requires a commitment to and investment in continuous improvement and cumulative, formal education programs to learn and “unlearn” ways of working.
Everyone involved in the plan must fundamentally believe that representation and participation matters at every level of the organization. Leadership must take ownership of the goals and consult with equity seeking communities to ensure diverse experiences and needs are heard and valued.
The practices that an Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Action Plan embed in an organization should provide a framework for all decision-making.
The first step is to ascertain whether the organization has the capacity and expertise internally to build and execute the plan.
Many organizations will engage with an ARAO consultant to outline an action plan or guide its execution.
For organizations where this isn’t possible, look at the resources, frameworks, and examples in this toolkit and on the Internet to find a structure that you can adapt.
Be careful to not make the mistake of putting the obligation and emotional labour of anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice entirely onto the shoulders of members of the team from historically marginalized communities.
Consult with other organizations who have developed ARAO action plans and integrated ARAO into strategic planning to share experience and tools.
Join No Hate in the Hammer if you need to connect with more local organizations engaged in this work.
Consult with equity seeking groups about their needs.
Look inside, to members of the team with valuable perspectives. Seek direction on what has to change from the people affected; take ownership and work collaboratively to make change.
Look outside, to clients and individuals in the community who could be clients.
Invite feedback or formal rating of your organization and services from equity-seeking groups, to gain an external perspective on your organizational accessibility and inclusive practices.
Provide a baseline understanding of anti-racism and anti-oppression to all members of the team and as part of on-boarding new members.
Build on the baseline with a culture of continuous improvement toward inclusive practice.
Learn about internal biases through assessment tools.
To achieve and sustain systemic change, embed anti-racist and anti-oppressive practice throughout the organization.
To embed good practices, include all aspects of the organization explicitly in the action plan.
For example, the plan might address:
How to create an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Plan (Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions)
Introduction to the Anti-Hate Toolkit
The Belonging Pledge
Individual Pathways
Introduction to Pathways for Individuals
Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Pathway
Stakeholder Pathways
Introduction to Stakeholder Pathways
Recommendations for All Stakeholders
Resources for Parents/Caregivers
Inclusive Practices
