Why Do We Need RECI?
Systemic racism is an endemic public health crisis in the United States that has a profoundly negative impact on the mental and physical health of millions of people—focally, people of color. Systemic racism is a social virus that is structured and metastasizes through our interconnected web of societal systems—perpetuated through normative, habituated, and often unconscious biases and behaviors—that produces and sustains a reinforcing preponderance of racial inequities across multiple sectors of society. Harvard public health professor David R. Williams describes the viral nature of systemic racism as “adaptive over time, maintaining its pervasive adverse effects through multiple mechanisms that arise to replace forms that have been diminished."
How do we combat these issues? To put it simply: "systemic problems necessitate systemic solutions". To bring about transformative change, people and communities committed to eradicating systemic racism need to develop a critical understanding of the complex and pervasive ways racism operates and the strategies and processes to foster racial equity. RECI stands in the gap, teaching individuals about the racial equity consciousness framework (diagram below) using resources such as: narrative guides, videos, articles, open discussion, collaborative activities and more. RECI aims to serve as a "timeless framework," educating and supporting individuals as they put in the work to understand the complexity of racism, and reflect on behaviors they can embody to catalyze antiracist initiatives, communities, and cultures. This expansive platform is supported by community contributions to the learning & teaching resource base.
RECI's Founder and Mission
Associate Director of the Center on Race and Social Problems, Ron Idoko, founded the Racial Equity Consciousness Institute (RECI) in 2021. RECI's mission is to provide individuals and communities with the tools to actively deconstruct racism and cultivate racial equity.
The Steps to Developing Racial Equity Consciousness
Figure 2 - Critical systems thinking mental model of racial equity consciousness development consisting of six interconnected, bilateral spheres of embodiment—reciprocal consciousness development behaviors stimulated through research, education, and praxis cycles.
Through the resource platform linked below, learners & teachers can explore and engage the racial equity consciousness framework and ultimately, cultivate the confidence and mindsets to be innovative and action-oriented agents for transformative social change.
