Undoing Anti-Black Racism

How this workgroup came to be

Citywide Undoing Anti-Black Racism & Focus Group Assessment:

In May of 2021, the Undoing Anti-Black Racism Committee conducted an assessment survey of Citywide staff with the goal of identifying goals and priorities to address anti-Black racism at Citywide and move toward a more anti-racist workplace. 

The assessment focused on four domains:

• Administrative policies

• Recruitment, hiring and employee development 

• Organizational culture 

• Clinical issues 

The initial survey was followed in August by a division-wide workshop to discuss survey findings and develop action steps for moving forward. 

Findings from this project included the following needs: 

• Division-wide training from an outside provider on interrupting racism, especially racial microaggressions, in the workplace 

• Development of division-wide policies to address and combat microaggressions  

• A process for gathering feedback specifically from Black staff on how to address anti-Black Racism at Citywide  

• Action to address the problem of Black staff taking on a disproportionate share of anti-racism work at Citywide. 

These findings have helped inform the Committee's ongoing efforts at Citywide as well as department-wide, including the Committee's presentation to Department of Psychiatry leadership on actions to address anti-Black racism in the Department. The findings have also helpd guide and Committee's ongoing work at Citywide to develop a division-wide policy on microaggressions, implement mandatory training to combat microgaggressions and other anti-Black racism, and develop activities to promote healing and engagement in anti-racism work.