Racial Justice at Work: Practical Solutions for Systemic Change

by Mary-Frances Winters, The Winters Group Team

Overview

Creating justice-centered organizations is the next frontier in DEI. This book shows how to go beyond compliance to address harm, share power, and create equity.

Traditional DEI work has not succeeded at dismantling systems that perpetuate harm and exclude BIPOC groups. Proponents of DEI have put too much focus on HR solutions, such as increasing representation, and not enough emphasis on changing the deeper organizational systems that perpetuate inequities-in other words, on justice. DEIJ work diverges from traditional metrics-driven DEI work and requires a new approach to effectively dismantle power structures.

This thought-provoking, solutions-oriented book offers strategic advice on how to adopt a justice mindset, anticipate and address resistance, shift power dynamics, and create a psychologically safe organizational culture. Individual chapters provide pragmatic how-to guides to implementing justice-centered practices in recruitment and hiring, data collection and analysis, learning and development, marketing and advertising, procurement, philanthropy, and more.

DEIJ pioneer Mary-Frances Winters and her coauthors address some of the most significant aspects of adding a justice focus to diversity work, showing how to create a workplace culture where equity is not a checklist of performative actions but a lived reality.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781523003648
Publisher:	Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Publication date:	02/14/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Mary-Frances Winters is the founder and president of the Winters Group Inc. She was named a top ten diversity trailblazer by Forbes and a diversity pioneer by Profiles in Diversity Journal, and she is the recipient of the prestigious ATHENA Award as well as the Winds of Change Award conferred by the Forum on Workplace.
The Winters Group Team contributors are Kevin A. Carter, Megan Ellinghausen, Scott Ferry, Gabrielle Gayagoy Gonzalez, Dr. Terrence Harewood, Tami Jackson, Dr. Megan Larson, Leigh Morrison, Katelyn Peterson, Mareisha N. Reese, Thamara Subramanian, and Rochelle Younan-Montgomery.

Table of Contents

Preface 5
Introduction: It's About Correcting Harm 8
Mary-Frances Winters, Founder and CEO, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 8
Part 1: Reimagining Justice in the Workplace 18
Chapter 1: Defining Justice 19
Mary-Frances Winters, Founder and CEO, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 19
Chapter 2: The Minimization, Weaponization, and Demonization of Racial Justice Concepts 24
Mary-Frances Winters, Founder and CEO, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 24
Chapter 3: Operationalizing Justice: A Radical Shift in Consciousness 39
Leigh Morrison, Learning and Innovation Manager, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 39
Chapter 4: The Leadership Imperative 47
Mary-Frances Winters, Founder and CEO, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 47
Chapter 5: A Developmental Approach to Racial Justice 52
Terrence Harewood, PhD, Vice President, Learning and Innovation, The Winters Group, Inc. (He/Him/His) 52
Chapter 6: Anticipating Resistance 69
Kevin Carter, Vice President, Strategy and Assessments, The Winters Group, Inc. (he/him/his) 69
Chapter 7: Addressing Resistance 81
Kevin Carter, Vice President, Strategy and Assessments, The Winters Group, Inc. (he/him/his) 81
Chapter 8: Neutrality Isn't Neutral: Whose Values Do We Value in the Workplace? 93
Thamara Subramanian, Equity Audit and Strategy Manager, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 93


Part 2: Actualizing Justice in the Workplace 99
Chapter 9: Employees Can't Be Safe Until They Feel Safe 100
Scott Ferry, Lead Instructional Designer, The Winters Group, Inc. (he/him/his) 100
Chapter 10: Closed Mouths Don't Get Justice 108
Katelyn Peterson, Client Success Account Manager, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 108
Chapter 11: Accountability Through Restorative Dialogue 118
Rochelle Younan-Montgomery, Instructional Designer, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 118
Chapter 12: The Problem with Professionalism 132
Tami Jackson, Instructional Designer, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 132
Chapter 13: Allyship Is for All 139
Scott Ferry, Lead Instructional Designer, The Winters Group, Inc. (he/him/his) 139
Chapter 14: The Problem with DEIJ Data 144
Mary-Frances Winters, Founder and CEO, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 144
Chapter 15: Make a Difference with Your DEIJ Data: A Four-Step Process 154
Thamara Subramanian, Equity Audit and Strategy Manager, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 154
Chapter 16: How to Make Reparations a Reality Now 171
Leigh Morrison, Learning and Innovation Manager, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) and Tami Jackson, Instructional Designer, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 171
Chapter 17: Recruiting, Hiring, and Other HR Practices for Racial Justice 183
Gabrielle Gayagoy Gonzalez, Instructional Designer/Marketing and PR Strategist, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 183
Chapter 18: Disrupting What It Means to Be a Productive and Healthy Workplace 192
Thamara Subramanian, Equity Audit and Strategy Manager, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 192
Chapter 19: A Racial Justice-Centered Approach to Learning and Development 201
Leigh Morrison, Learning and Innovation Manager, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 201
Chapter 20: Justice in Procurement 208
Mareisha N. Reese, Chief Operating Officer, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 208
Chapter 21: Automating Bias 214
Megan Ellinghausen, Marketing and Branding Specialist, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 214
Chapter 22: Disrupting the Racist Narrative in Marketing and Advertising 226
Megan Larson, EdD, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 226
Chapter 23: Justice in Philanthropy 239
Mary-Frances Winters, Founder and CEO, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 239
Conclusion: Radical Change 247
Mary-Frances Winters, Founder and CEO, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 247
Acknowledgements 249
Mary-Frances Winters, Founder and CEO, The Winters Group, Inc. (she/her/hers) 249
About the Authors 250
Endorsements 256
Endnotes 258

Editorial Reviews

Leveraging years of experience and measurable effectiveness, Mary-Frances Winters and her team have given us an excellent and accessible guide for integrating racial justice in the workplace. From operationalizing definitions, to expecting and responding to resistance, to assessing outcomes, this step-by-step manual needs to be in every organization's hands.” 
—Robin DiAngelo, PhD, author of White Fragility: Why It's so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
 
“Once again, Mary-Frances Winters and The Winters Group lead the charge toward understanding and accountability to bring about immediate action and deep change for workplaces and societies. Reaching beyond DEI, Racial Justice at Work captures the next-level leadership required to transform organizations into stewards of justice, particularly for Black and brown people who have been harmed by exclusion. This book is a must-read for all who seek to disrupt inequitable systems and build those in which diverse communities can reach their full potential.”
—Laura Morgan Roberts, PhD, University of Virginia Associate Professor and CEO of The Alignment Quest Enterprise
 
“This highly illuminating book deserves to be read, and reread, by every executive who has even an inkling of curiosity regarding how they can foster a more just workplace. It unpacks the cartoonification of DEIJ narratives that tend to dominate our discourse and provides an extraordinary depth and breadth of insights, perspectives, and approaches. Kudos to Mary-Frances Winters and her colleagues for sharing so much of their wisdom in one place.”
—Jeremy Boal, MD, Chief Clinical Officer, Mount Sinai Health System, and President, Mount Sinai Beth Israel and Downtown
 
“Clear, concise and compelling, Mary-Frances Winters and her team have written the book every company needs. In explicit and easy-to-follow language, they lay out a road map for companies and senior level executives for achieving racial justice in the workplace. No longer will companies have to guess or wonder about how to operationalize their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
—Areva Martin, Esq., award-winning civil rights attorney and USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author
 
“Mary-Frances Winters and The Winters Group bring justice into corporate culture with an incisive guide that articulates the need for systems and practices that produce equity and shift power in the workplace, then outlines a compelling plan for transformation. This book offers organizations an equity lens that puts justice into action everywhere, from entry-level positions to the C-suite. Following its plan will lead to organizational cultures where more employees, particularly those most marginalized by structural discrimination, can succeed and thrive.”
—Lurie Daniel Favors, Executive Director, Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College

From the Publisher