Building an Anti-Racist LGBT Movement at Creating Change



Sat Academy SessionOn Wednesday Creating Change will officially begin with the Racial Justice Institute as it has for the past 8 years. The Racial Justice Institute is an integral part of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s commitment to a racially just LGBT movement.

23 years ago Creating Change hosted its first People of Color Institute, 18 years ago parallel programming for white allies was added to develop their capacities to be effective in their roles addressing racism. Then in 2006 the programming evolved into what is now known as the Racial Justice Institute.

Each year, the Racial Justice Institute becomes more popular among conference attendees. We have many people who are new to Creating Change and the institute. Many participants make it a point to come to the institute every year as a part of their personal commitment to racial justice. But what veterans and new comers all have in common is that they’re looking for tools, support and community.

It’s no easy task to create an institute that intentionally and thoughtfully facilitates conversations about race and increases people’s capacity to address racism in their everyday lives. But we’re up to the challenge. This year we’re adding a “returners” track for people who have already attended and are returning to the institute. The track will allow these people to take a deeper dive into exploring their relationship to systems of racial oppression.

This year we’ve kept some of the best attended breakout sessions and added some more. Here is a list of the breakout sessions:

  • Let’s talk about it: real talk across
  • Quieting internalized oppression and self-care as people of color
  • Engaging race as a multiracial person in the LGBT community
  • Engaging race, gender identity, sexual orientation across POC communities
  • How my “whiteness” matters:
  • Exploring white privilege
  • How my “whiteness” matters: exploring white privilege
  • Towards a racial justice practice: creating organizational change

You can access the full descriptions in the conference program book.

We’re proud to partner with the Washington Consulting group for the third year; they’ve been key partners in developing a Racial Justice Institute that meets the needs of the LGBT movement.

The Washington Consulting Group is a Multicultural Organizational Development Firm out of Baltimore MD. It is led by Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington who serves as the President and Founder. Dr. Washington has served as a social justice change agent for more than thirty years. Jamie will be working with a team that collectively brings more than 100 years of racial justice work in LGBTQA communities. The leadership team includes, Drs becky marinez, and Kathy Obear.

Small Group facilitators include:
Diane Goodman
Shiva Subbaraman
Thomas Walker
TJ Jorian
Sam Offer
Durryle Brooks
Monica Motley
Vernon Wall
Trystan Reese
Evangeline Weiss
Causten Rodriguez-Wollerman

We will be highlighting parts of the Racial Justice Institute throughout the day Wednesday.