The first round of our CCORE Transformative Leadership Cohort is complete!
State of Equity’s inaugural Transformative Leadership Cohort (TLC) ran from August 2023 to March 2024, and was built on support, organizing, and trust. This pilot cohort welcomed 28 Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) racial equity practitioners who either work in California state government or in community-based organizations. The group represented 14 different state departments and 4 Public Health Institute programs.
We are grateful for the facilitators/organizations who supported the cohort. Shout out to Leanne Alaman, Katherin Canton (Ritual of Myth Making) , Elena Santamaria, Weiyu Zhang (CPEHN’s BTAG project), Sara Yukimoto-Saltman, AORTA Co-op (Sunny Dakota) and our many other wonderful facilitators!
What is TLC?
TLC is part of our Capitol Collaborative on Race and Equity (CCORE) and is a leadership development cohort that specifically centers the learning and growth of BIPOC racial equity practitioners. Pilot participants reflected on their own growth as racial equity practitioners and had deep learnings and dialogue about power, organizing, and ways that internalized oppression shows up in our work. They also had an opportunity to analyze a racial equity policy or practice in their organization and offer recommendations for enhancing that work based on learnings from the cohort.
This cohort is a vibe of its own.
In the words of CCORE Co-Lead Giovianna Burrell “The energy of this cohort felt like a deep ocean that is full of life, opportunity, spaciousness, care, community, and a place to just be a learner.” One of our CA state government participants shared, “The cohort was honestly a great experience. I have done other efforts/trainings and have gotten things from them, but this program made me feel seen and in a safe space on top of providing resources. I appreciate the intentionality that went into the program you could feel it was a place for those of us doing this work and being part of the communities were trying to effect change in.”
From vision to launch.
TLC was birthed from the vision of CCORE Co-Lead Giovianna Burrell who brought in her experience and wisdom holding deep dialogue spaces with BIPOC folx as an educator, facilitator, former equity & inclusion government employee. CCORE Co-Lead Holly Nickel and Americorps VISTA member Erica Tolbert served on the implementation team.
“As a Black woman, I wish I had a space like this when I was working in a racial equity role in government. In my prior role I was developing racial equity/DEI/anti-oppression curriculum; after two years of doing that I realized that a lot of what was being offered centered on the learning of people who identified as White/European. In my experience, BIPOC government employees were in the learning space to feel seen, witnessed and heard even if we were already familiar with the content and frameworks around racial equity. It is vital to have learning spaces that center BIPOC folx where we can just be as learners and do not have to be teachers or hold the emotions of our white/European counterparts.” – Giovianna Burrell, CCORE Co-Lead and TLC founder
There were rich learnings from our first go around.
Several themes and learnings arose over the course of the seven months:
- BIPOC employees need racial equity professional development opportunities that center their own learning and relationships. CCORE staff have found that BIPOC workers put considerable labor and energy toward racial equity organizing, as compared to their white coworkers. TLC provides a unique space for BIPOC to share experiences and lean on one another in a way that they could not in a more heterogeneous space. Participants reported gaining a deeper understanding of the importance of centering BIPOC employees and divesting from white organizational culture. While relationships and healing from the harms of racism were at the center of the cohort experience, participants left the cohort with stronger skills as racial equity practitioners, and a deeper focus on enhancing and supporting their organization’s racial equity, DEI, and equity policies.
- Many BIPOC government workers seeking racial equity professional development had to jump through hurdles to participate. Many participants went to great lengths to justify the value of this experience, particularly because it centers BIPOC workers. Some were denied permission to participate outright. Still others did not even ask for permission because of prior experiences having their needs dismissed. This highlights the risks that BIPOC workers take and the harm that is often done to them by the very institutions they support. In the future, a blend of philanthropic support and government investment will be critical, to ensure that this program is available to those who need it without causing further harm during the recruitment and enrollment process.
- BIPOC racial equity practitioners need many layers of support within their own institutions and across a broad peer network. Pre- and post-program surveys showed that participants’ sense of who is in their “community pod” expanded over the course of the cohort. Their sense of community with other CCORE TLC peers increased by 25%, with friends increased by 35%, and with colleagues increased more than 200%.
- BIPOC racial equity practitioners seek both personal and practical learning. Participants were given flexibility on how they focused their time, and 86% chose a blend of deepening their personal learnings and pursuing opportunities to apply these learnings to policies, procedures, and practices in their organizations.
- It is important to provide opportunities for impromptu conversations on key issues arising for participants. For example, participants spent time discussing the term BIPOC, exploring the value of using the term and its limitations.
- Participants brought emotional vulnerability to the cohort, highlighting the importance of care and intentionality on the part of the facilitators.
“This cohort gave me what I didn’t know I needed. I laughed. I cried. I learned. I healed. This was an empowering, nurturing, reflective, introspective, supportive, and transformative experience. I definitely recommend this series for all agencies.” – CCORE TLC Pilot participant
Looking ahead.
State of Equity is excited to bring this cohort back in early 2025. Applications will go live this summer along with a couple of information sessions. We know it can be challenging to justify the time and funding required for participation. Please reach out so we can support you in making the case. To learn more about CCORE TLC and receive a notification when applications go live, please check out our State of Equity newsletter, CCORE TLC webpage, and/or email us at CCORE@phi.org.
