© Ekua Holmes

Empowered Communities disrupting COMMUNITY

Creating systems owned by communities 

Empowered communities impact racism at the community level by creating alternative structures to existing systems. When communities co-construct new models, these models are rooted in their strengths, center their power and allow the group and its members to be in community with each other.

This can look like:

  • Communities at the center of reform
  • Celebrating collective strengths and powers
  • Building social capital

Consider:

  • How do we build models of change that are held by communities?
  • How do we celebrate and harness the strengths of the collective?

Assessment Questions

Is this an area of priority for you?

How important to your organization is creating systems owned by communities?

This is less important to our mission
This is of growing importance to our mission
This is very important to our mission

How strong is your organization at creating systems owned by communities?

We're not strong at this yet
We're building strength here
This is a clear strength

Examples:

The Black School

An experimental school that takes an antiracist lens to all things school.

The Laundromat Project

A collaborative aimed at centering narratives of community members.

The Kellogg Foundation

A philanthropy focused on funding equity work.

Pose

A television series that centers trans people, allowing them to tell their own stories.

Sort Of

This series focuses on the lived experiences of non-binary, trans, and queer people. From family relationships to gender identity, the series is another example of amplifying voices and creating multiple narratives.