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Racial Equity Capacity Offerings

Let’s transform St. Louis together.

Ad for Racial Equity Capacity Building offerings that says, "Ready to a be a Racial Equity catalyst for positive change in your neighborhood, organization, or company? We're here to help. The Forward Through Ferguson logo is on bottom right and on left is a photo circle with Director of Community Partnerships, Nichole Murphy, gesturing to a PowerPoint slide in a conference room. Nichole is a Black woman with an orange long sleeved dress and natural hair. The background of the add is light blue.

Want to advance Racial Equity in your neighborhood, organization or company? Now is the time to start thinking about it!

Start a conversation with leaders in your community or institution about working with Forward Through Ferguson to build Racial Equity. So far, we have grown capacity, trained, and built community with 200+ leaders advancing Racial Equity through roundtables, assessments, and sector-based transformation initiatives.

If interested in either hosting or participating in Forward Through Ferguson workshops, please fill out this interest form.

View the 2024 Racial Equity Capacity Building Offerings presentation.

Workshops & Trainings

Stay tuned because the 2024 Racial Equity Capacity Building schedule is coming this March. Have questions? Contact Faybra Jabulani, Lead Racial Equity Capacity Catalyst at recb[at]forwardthroughferguson[dot]org.

Racial Equity Roundtable

Check out our 2023 recorded Racial Equity Roundtable informational session here:

Context

Racial Equity can be defined as “a state in which life outcomes are no longer predictable by race.” Forward Through Ferguson works to catalyze a St. Louis where systems work well for people of all races. This transformative vision centers a St. Louis where race and zip code will no longer influence life outcomes like obtaining a quality education, earning a living wage, and having affordable housing in a safe neighborhood. The Build Racial Equity Capacity strategy from FTF’s #STL2039 Action Plan includes conducting workshops, interventions, and assessments that support institutional transformation.

Wayfinder

FTF acts as a wayfinder, not as a replacement for diversity, equity, and inclusion trainers. We help people and institutions find their starting point, strategize the journey forward, create next practices, and discover how to be a radically accountable partner in systems change.

Current RECB Offerings

#STL2039 Workshops
For teams of up to five

Systems Change Primer
3-hour workshop for individuals

Path to Racial Equity Workshop
Applying systems change to achieve Racial Equity in a field or sector (e.g. Philanthropy, Education, Biotech)

Racial Equity Roundtable
Philanthropy cohort and Cross-Sector cohort with yearly membership—Both starting July 2022

General Consulting
Supporting organizations through a Systems-Change approach to Racial Equity

Resources, Tools, & Frequently Asked Questions

#STL2039 Workshops

One 6-hour workshop for teams.  Intermediate level session. 

Outcomes- What will you get?

  • Draft an outcomes-based #STL2039 vision for your organization with alignment to the Regional Equity Indicators Dashboard and the Ferguson Commission Report Calls to Action. 
  • Establish shared language and understanding around Racial Equity and systems change
  • Conduct an organizational assessment of systemic barriers facing your work and strategies to address them

Registration and Fees

#STL2039 Workshop fee is $2,500 per team virtually, and $5,000 per team in person. (group of max 5 people virtually, and max of 10 people in person). Scholarships available based on an application process.

 They may send revisions to registrant information to recb@forwardthroughferguson.org

Path to Racial Equity Workshops (NEW)

5-hour workshop for individuals. Offered in-person, and virtual sessions. Beginner to Intermediate level content.

Sessions

  • Path to Justice Philanthropy (Updated)
  • Path to Racial Equity for Educators (Updated)
  • Path to Racial Equity through Data & Research (NEW)
  • Path to Racial Equity for Storytellers (NEW)

Outcomes- What will you get? 

  • Baseline understanding of context and barriers to Racial Equity within in the sector or field
  • Access to community brainstorm of interventions and opportunities for innovation
  • Overview of FTF curated tools and resources
  • Networking with practitioners within your sector or field that also share the goal to champion Racial Equity and Systems Change

Registration & Fees: 

  • $300 per person for in-person workshops, and $150 per person for virtual sessions
  • Team members within an institution, collaborative partnerships, or institutions from the same sector are encouraged to participate together or schedule a session to be presented to your organization.

Systems Change Primer

3-hour workshop for individuals. Offered in-person, and virtual sessions. SCP is a Beginner-level session.

Key Takeaways

  • Gain Baseline knowledge on the systems that fuel racial inequities in the context of the St. Louis Region following the Ferguson Uprising
  • Reflect on presented perspectives for systems change and the consider roles your work is best suited for
  • An overview of FTF toolkits and recommendations for Racial Equity transformation

Registration & Fees

  • $150 per person for in-person workshops, and $100 per person for virtual sessions
  • Team members within an institution, collaborative partnerships, or institutions from the same sector are encouraged to participate together or schedule a session to be presented to your organization.

Racial Equity Roundtable

Yearly membership starting September 2024 – Advanced level 

Outcomes—What will you get?

  • Leadership development leveraging Anti-bias, Antiracist, and systems change  strategies. 
  • In-depth case studies of participating institutions and problem solving practices.
  • A Racial Equity outcomes baseline assessment of your institution 
  • An accountable, and radically collaborative network of organizational leaders
  • First access to new FTF tools and frameworks for Racial Equity transformation

Registration and Fees: 

$10,000 per new organization, requiring two to three representatives per group. 

$2,500 per returning organization, requiring one to two representatives per group.

*Nonprofit organizations, initiatives, and small businesses  with a need for cost assistance may apply for a $2500 to $5000 scholarship with submission of their application to join.

Informational Sessions:

  • Learn more about the Roundtable application process and participation requirements through our informational sessions in April 2024.

Application:

  • Two representatives is ideal per institution, at least one of whom is in management, or executive leadership.
  • Application by [to add]
  • Partnerships or organizations from the same sector are highly encouraged to apply and participate together.

Racial Equity Capacity Assessment

A Facilitated Assessment for an Organization, Coalition, or Partnership spanning a 3 to 6 month timeframe. Beginner-friendly content and work. 

Outcomes

    • Facilitated scoping conversation on desired outcomes and customization
    • Presentations to survey participants to establish shared language and terms.
    • Completed Racial Equity Capacity Assessment with stakeholders
  • Guided conversation to understand results and strategize initial next steps
  • Final Report with Recommendations

Registration & Fees: 

  • $10,000 for a baseline assessment for up to 50 process participants, and $10,000 to include a growth assessment.

*Growth assessments are administered one-year after the baseline assessment

 

Contracted Partnerships

Contracted RECB Partnerships assist organizations through FTF’s systems-change approach to Racial Equity. Our General Consultations are not diversity and inclusion training or a substitution for explicit level-setting within your organization. 

We seek to support organizations’ work as wayfinders and guides who will help you own the trajectory of your institution’s Path to Racial Equity.

Outcomes—What will you get?

  • Facilitated, collaborative planning time to build your capacity for Racial Equity utilizing a systems-change lens.
  • Application of the principles of Racial Equity work to a particular initiative within your institution.
  • Connections to services offered by local DEI and Organizational Development practitioners or potential sector-based partners. 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Forward Through Ferguson?

Forward Through Ferguson (FTF) was established as a 501(c)3 to be a catalyst for lasting positive change in the St. Louis region as outlined in the Ferguson Commission Report. Embracing the Commission’s mandate. FTF centers impacted communities and mobilizes accountable bodies to advance racially equitable systems and policies that ensure all people in the St. Louis region can thrive.

Is FTF a diversity and inclusion trainer?

No. FTF does not operate as a diversity and inclusion trainer or practitioner. FTF was created to carry forth the community insight and vision of the Ferguson Commission, which identified the need for defining the path for individuals, organizations and institutions, and the region to move from awareness of racial inequities to transformational action that eliminates those inequities.

We are invested in building St. Louis’ muscle for activating on Racial Equity and Systems Change. In practice, this means we’ve served as infrastructure builders and “wayfinders”—helping organizations, institutions, and sectors assess where they are, orient themselves on the path to Racial Equity, develop a plan of action, and connect to capacity-building resources (including trainers, specialists, tools and models).

Who does FTF work with?

Forward Through Ferguson, in the tradition of the Ferguson Commission, works with organizations across traditional power hierarchies and sectors while working to maintain ultimate accountability to affected communities of color. FTF has worked with service and advocacy nonprofits, grassroots organizations, government offices and officials, foundations, research institutions, school districts, and corporations.

Tools and Frameworks

Part of our mission is to capture learnings and outcomes into tools for catalysts across the region, of all kinds, who want to advance Racial Equity. Some of the Racial Equity tools we’ve helped produce include:

Take Action

FTF Co-Chairs and Community Partners Call for Swift Policy Action

Residents Call for Policy Change, Regional Leaders Must Rise to the Challenge Forward Through Ferguson co-chairs, Rebeccah Bennett and Zachary Boyers, and 30 community partners call on policy and decision makers to deliver swift action on Ferguson Commission Calls to Action.  Read the full statement on Medium, or download a pdf here. “Unfortunately, we’ve been…

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A Path To Racial Equity Worksheet

Racial Equity is a state in which race no longer predicts outcomes. Achieving Racial Equity is the mission of Forward Through Ferguson. But the 189 calls to action in the Ferguson Commission Report are a reminder that there is no one-step, straight-line path from our current state—where racial disparities exist in almost every set of…

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Opportunity for a New Approach to Public Safety in St. Louis

An open letter to Mayor Lyda Krewson from Rebeccah Bennett and Zachary Boyers, Co-chairs of Forward Through Ferguson, on the public safety opportunity in front of our region. Click here to download a pdf of the open letter. Mayor Krewson, The retirement of Police Chief Sam Dotson represents a new day for public safety in St. Louis….

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