The Eastside Pathways Racial Equity Council (EPREC), formerly known as the Racial Equity Team, has stepped into its consultation role to support partners in staying on the leading edge of racial equity. EPREC members collectively share years of experience bringing resources, leading change and holding the line as we strive to “reduce harm and increase equity” in East King County.
During this month’s meeting (April 14) the council discussed its shared values – grace, integrity and authenticity, as outlined in its Values and Capacity document. Members also shared their experiences and thoughts around “resistance to change” to normalize and support one another in managing the conflicts that inevitably comes with doing adaptive work.
When discussing values, the council shared what each word means to them, examples of behaviors that model that value and what structures play a role in those values. Consider exploring what these values, behaviors and structures look like in your area of influence.
| Value | Meaning | Behavior | Structures |
| Grace | Grace is wrapping your arms around someone, while having a hard conversation. So that their experience is inclusive, welcoming.
Creating ease. Being “other” focused. Grace is a pathway to compassion. |
Being “gracious space” until it becomes the norm, a part of the culture.
Grace recognizes that people are more than that moment, more than their words. Dismantling perfectionism. |
Including the “other”.
Seat at the table for the “other”, folks who are not traditionally included. Policies and practices that encourage “failing forward”. |
| Integrity | Actions aligned with words, earned trust.
Alignment between values and behaviors.
|
You do what you say will do often and consistently enough to establish trust. | Communication norms.
Accountability for action and inaction. |
| Authenticity | Being myself.
Truth/authenticity is wobbly, there are multiple truths. Authenticity is closely related vulnerability. There is an easy one and a hard one – authenticity. When I am with people more like me it’s easier. Showing up in and participating in a shared culture. |
Speaking your truth.
Being authentic while also keeping the impact in mind. (Void of defensiveness, “I’m just telling the truth”.) Sharing real responses. Speaking the unspeakable. Showing up and getting celebrated. The group sitting with and examining what is coming up in the moment. When something seems spontaneous, being curious about that backstory that led to that moment. Breaking through the fog in a public way. |
Feeling like I must play a certain role conflict with my ability to be authentic.
Growth mindset culture. Self-awareness. Knowing and being accountable to the history of _____. Trust building as a fundamental resource. Spacious in the agenda for people’s insights, emotions, etc that are complex. Time to get real about what’s actually going, space for the non-rational/values parts of yourself. |
| Compassion | Holding space for your feelings.
Holding space for another person’s feelings and experiences. |
Taking time to be centered, self-aware.
Processing your feelings. Being gentle with yourself and others. |
Human centered practices and policies. Decentering productivity. |
Adaptive Leadership posits that there are four main adaptive challenge archetypes (below). While identifying the type of challenge may be easy, the work of managing and moving through those challenges can become strenuous. Resistance to change seems to be woven into all four of these challenges.
- Conflict Between Values and Behavior.
- Commitments in Competition.
- Unspeakable Speaking.
- Avoiding Work.
This is what EPREC had to say about their experiences with resistance to change.
Consider how resistance to change is coming up in your racial equity action.
- Security is often missing in the process of change.
- People won’t change unless they know what the benefit of the change is for them.
- There are two different types of change:
- change we have no control of or
- change we are a part of leading/creating.
- Often the response is “Do we have to change?” People try to hold on to what they know.
- When people know better they don’t always do better in this area (racial equity).
- I long ago shifted from teaching about racism, racial equity.
- Individually and systemically folks are resistant to change.
- Systems are established to perpetuate themselves. Racism is institutional – “things must remain this way.”
- Search for the Shared Basic Assumptions, often we are holding practices based upon shared basic assumptions that we believe are policies.
- These (structural racism) are held in place because folks are afraid, they will lose out on something.
- “We can’t be too bold because it’s too edgy for our funders.”
- Survival level fear.
- There is real resistance, the perception of the resistance and the reaction to the resistance.
We want to learn how you are “reducing harm and increasing equity” in your area of influence. Click here to submit your story.