Introducing Crossroads
History
Crossroads was founded in 1986 as an effort to develop new directions in understanding and combating the root causes of institutional racism in the United States. Now, following many years of research and experimentation, a variety of new approaches, programs, and resources are being implemented.
The work of Crossroads is to train teams within institutions, helping them to analyze racism and to develop and implement strategies to dismantle racism within their structures. Crossroads training begins with the ability to analyze systemic racism. Then, provided with a comprehensive understanding of racism, an intensive training process equips teams with strategic skills to lead their institutions toward long term and permanent transformation.
The specific skills which teams develop are:
- Analysis of Systemic Racism: building and sharing a common understanding of racism.
- Researching and evaluations:the ability to identify and analyze racism in a specific context, as well as to evaluate and assess change.
- Teaching:the ability to educate about racism and provide local leaders with strategies and tools for its elimination.
- Organizing:the ability to develop and implement strategies for change.
For almost 20 years, Crossroads has provided consultation and training services to institutions and organizations, facilitating the development of hundreds of internal transformation teams.
Crossroads also designs programs, resources, and networks that provide teams with the necessary skills and tools that are needed to bring about systemic change and lead toward the elimination of systemic racism within their institutions and organizations. In 1998, the Crossroads Leadership Development Institute began to equip advanced organizers and trainers from institutions to help further the goal of internalizing the work of the teams.
The Forming and Equipping of Anti-Racism Teams
Crossroads has developed an intensive process to develop and train an institutional anti-racism team. The process involves three specific phases, which build upon each other. The length of the entire training process varies, but can be 18-24 months or longer. When the final stage is completed, the team members are prepared to use their skills and strategies to lead their institution toward long term structural and programmatic transformation
Team Creation
During the first phase the institution appoints a planning and design task force that is responsible for: developing a project description and having it approved by the institution's leadership, determining the team membership, and securing funding. At the conclusions of the preparatory phase, the team is created that will be trained during the next steps.
- Time Frame: from initial inquiry to beginning of team training
- Initial exploration usually carried out by an ad hoc committee
- Formal design process carried out by a Planning Design Task Force (PDTF)
- Duration of this stage: varies between 6 months and 2 years
Team Formation and Training
Team Formation and Training focuses on the development of a team analysis of systemic racism through a training event, research and data gathering, and the building of team coherence and unity.
Team Analysis
- Begins with a one-day orientation event
- Main event: a 3-day training retreat
- Purpose: the team develops an identity, an analysis and team member relationships
- The 3-day retreat is followed by several months of team research and data collecting
- Duration of this: usually between four-six months
Team Skills Building and Strategy Development
This segment of training results in the team's development of short term and long term strategies for action. Specific skills developed during this phase include teaching, research and organizing.
- Includes two 2-day training retreats (or one 5 day training retreat)
- Purpose: deepening of internal team life, development of goals and strategies, training for organizing skills
- Action plans are presented to institutional leadership for approval
- Concludes with initiation of the team's organizing work
- Duration of this: usually three-four months
Crossroads remains as coach and consultant for the first six months of team's work
Post-Team Formation and Training Consultation
- Includes a one-day gathering 6 months after completion of Team Skills Building and Strategy Development
- Purpose: tracking progress, completion and affirmation of proposed strategies
- Redefinition of the relationship between Crossroads and the institution takes place
- This consultation is followed by further implementation of the objectives, goals and strategies created by the transformation team
Beyond Training: The Work of the Teams
When the training is completed, the teams begin the work of implementing their anti-racism strategies. Some specific examples of the work of anti-racism teams include:
- Shaping awareness of systemic racism within an institution and an analysis of the specific barriers to change.
- Developing commitment within the institution to dismantle institutional racism and to establish an anti-racist purpose within the institution's mission statements.
- Developing plans for the dismantling of structures that perpetuate racism within the institution.
- Developing cultural identities within the institution that are based upon anti-racist understanding.
- Shaping of an anti-racist multicultural "table" with a new understanding of the task of building an anti-racist institution.
- Building of new organizational structures that share power of decision making.
