Disrupting Racism

Systemic racism is broadly understood, but not precisely defined.

How is this a disruption tool?

This tool was built by a team of Black and Brown non-profit leaders who brought clarity from their own experiences and those of the people they serve. It highlights racism as a deliberately designed system of advantage, driven by power and fear. It is an affirmation of the positive potential of disruption.

The design of this tool is a deliberate remaking and insertion of possibility and power, constructed to disrupt the sinister forces that racism weaponizes. This is a collective vision of transformation that interrupts what is and reimagines what can be.

This tool was imagined by the New Commonwealth Fund, designed by a team of Black and Brown non-profit leaders, and brought to life with Agncy and Onward.

This tool is meant to help illuminate organizational impact and focuses on three strategies to disrupt systemic racism (shared narratives, transparency & accountability, empowered communities). You will be able to explore each of these areas in more detail.

Shared
Narratives

Transparency &
Accountability

Empowered
Communities

This tool explores how systemic racism is experienced at multiple structural levels of practice (personal, community, institutional, policy). You will be able to explore how this tool differentiates impact at each structural level.

Personal

Community

Institutional

Policy

As you assess your organization, you will be able to consider how strategies for disruption manifest differently when interacting with each structural level of practice.

Shared Narratives

Shared Narratives disrupting PERSONAL

Shared Narratives disrupting COMMUNITY

Shared Narratives disrupting INSTITUTIONAL

Shared Narratives disrupting POLICY

Transparency & Accountability

Transparency & Accountability disrupting PERSONAL

Transparency & Accountability disrupting COMMUNITY

Transparency & Accountability disrupting INSTITUTIONAL

Transparency & Accountability disrupting POLICY

Empowered Communities

Empowered Communities disrupting PERSONAL

Empowered Communities disrupting COMMUNITY

Empowered Communities disrupting INSTITUTIONAL

Empowered Communities disrupting POLICY

EXPLORE THE CARDS

As you explore the content below, click on cards for more information. Use the filters to limit view cards within specific categories. Answer the questions to assess your organization’s work in each impact area.

You can click and drag the cards around the screen as you explore.

disrupting PERSONAL
disrupting COMMUNITY
disrupting INSTITUTIONAL
disrupting POLICY
disrupting PERSONAL
disrupting COMMUNITY
disrupting INSTITUTIONAL
disrupting POLICY
disrupting PERSONAL
disrupting COMMUNITY
disrupting INSTITUTIONAL
disrupting POLICY

You can use these cards to start a team meeting

IMPACT ASSESSMENT RESULTS

The map below visualizes how you have assessed your organization in each impact area. It is meant to help you consider how your organization prioritizes and lives into these impact areas. This can help you identify assets, spot growth areas and consider where you may benefit from support. As you review your results, you can continue to review and adjust your responses.

HOW TO USE THIS MAP

Click on the circles on the map or in the list to review that card and the assessment questions.

The top and bottom quadrants show alignment between importance to your organization and your strength in it. Areas that show up in the right or left quadrant reveal a mismatch worth considering more deeply.

KEY

LESS STRENGTH AND IMPORTANCE TO YOUR MISSION
MORE STRENGTH AND IMPORTANCE TO YOUR MISSION
Important to our mission, a strength
Important to our mission; not yet a strength
Less important to our mission, not yet a strength
Less important to our mission, a strength

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Select or deselect the impact areas to control which questions you’re viewing.

An anonymized version of your results will also be shared with the New Commonwealth Fund

To review your results again later, please use the customized link provided above.

About this Toolkit

This deck is the result of collective work done by a group of Black and Brown non-profit leaders across Massachusetts. Together our group built a shared definition of systemic racism—and created a collective vision for transformation.

This site features FreightText, a collection of humanist typefaces by Black typographer Joshua Darden.

VIEW THE PROJECT TEAM

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