Our Racial Justice Strategy
Our Racial Justice Strategy unites organizations from all industry sectors around a political agenda, and offers guidance for running organizations with anti-racist policies and norms. ARDC is currently working most closely with groups in the nonprofit, youth, philanthropy, and faith-based sectors, and we are poised to make connections across the remaining ones, including labor, media, healthcare, small and locally-owned businesses, DC-based corporations, government, and the arts.
The strategy operates along our Racial Justice Pillars – the five most-pressing issues in DC, as identified by community members and justice advocates across the city. These are housing justice, education justice, health justice, economic justice, and DC autonomy. While it’s easiest for organizations to focus on the pillars most relevant to their own missions, ARDC creates spaces and campaigns that nurture cross-sector collaboration to pool resources and information, and to maximize success in multiple pillars at once.
Organizations that formally commit to adopting our Racial Justice Strategy become ARDC Comrades. Those who signon benefit from collective power, training and political education, cross-sector convenings and an active network, and strategic resources and supports.
Become an ARDC Comrade
Training and Political Education
ARDC trainings & workshops to date have included:
Customized, private anti-racist trainings for organizations and teams
Political Education Cards: Brief cards featuring clear examples to help explain racism and anti-racism, designed for easy use in meetings, classrooms, or conversations
Know Your Rights Cards: Specifically for young people to understand and memorize fundamental rights and protections in DC
Additional Benefits
Additional benefits to becoming an ARDC Comrade:
Easy promotion of offerings and direct actions with a wide, engaged network
Quick and impactful mobilizing to apply pressure to systemic levers, against emerging threats (e.g., councilmembers, developers, Congresspeople, etc.)
New partnerships with receptive collaborators
Greater access to funders and mutual aid opportunities
Much more…
Convenings
ARDC convenings to date have included:
Nonprofit Sector Strategic Convening
ARDC Strategy Briefing for Funders
Cross-Sector Engagement Dinner with Business Leaders
Resources
Resources available to ARDC Comrades include:
“Mapping Segregation in DC: An Exploration of Redlining in Southeast and Northwest”
Know Your Rights Training for Youth
“Building Anti-Racist Movements: Political Education and Organizing Training (a BIPOC-only space)”
Connect With Anti-Racist DC
Anti-Racist DC invites nonprofits, advocacy organizations, institutions, grassroots groups, youth activists, faith-based leaders, business owners, public officials, philanthropists, and community members who believe in liberation to learn more and connect with us. Our sector convenings are open to the public. The ARDC Newsletter is also available to all. Gather your team to discuss adding your organization to our coalition; if the will and capacity are there, sign the ARDC Racial Justice Strategy Agreement to gain access to the full offerings and supports available to our comrades.
What happens in DC echoes across the nation. We have everything we need to pave the way to liberation – but the road is only as long as we remain in step.