The 5 Keys To Operationalize Racial Equity

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Written by J.D. Lee

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Foreword by Linda Fowler

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“What the people want is simple.…

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…They want an America as good as its promise.”

- Barbara C. Jordan Former U.S. Congresswoman

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Contents Foreword ............................. 7 Prologue .............................. 9 Reach ................................ 13 Touch ................................. 17 Feel .................................... 21 Help.................................... 25 Change ............................. 29 Epilogue ............................ 33 Credits ............................... 39

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Foreword

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e all know that a great deal of trouble surrounds such issues as privilege, power, and diversity in our society, especially related to race. A huge store of knowledge,

from scientific research to passionate memoirs, documents the injustices and unnecessary suffering caused by racism in America.

In the course of my work as a consultant, I recently attended a workshop entitled “Undoing Racism” with colleagues of BIPOC /non-BIPOC identity. During the workshop we had the opportunity to reflect on our collective future as consultants, the communities we work with, staff from a variety of non-profit entities, and board members of large philanthropic organizations.

We all had a common interest in dismantling the systems and structures that have perpetuated racism. The workshop allowed me to take an unflinching look at the struggles of BIPOC. For all that

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we know, however, we still do not seem to understand what to do about it. We are both individually and collectively stuck in a kind of paralysis that perpetuates the trouble and its human consequences.

At the confluence of the workshop’s major theme to uncover the racism lies an opportunity to actuate strategies for the work of undoing the racism. The 5 Keys to Operationalizing Racial Equity is a living document that hopefully offers an important contribution towards equipping us for the work ahead.

It is an attempt to encourage discussion about how to become part of the solution, one relationship at a time. The five keys articulated so well by the author provide a framework that is conceptual on the one hand, but on the other hand, is grounded in the experience of everyday life. Thus, it allows us to not only see the trouble comes from, but also how we as individuals are connected to it, while offering a chance to make a difference.

As a teacher, agitator, mentor, business partner, and friend, J.D. Lee has demonstrated in this guidebook how to serve BIPOC people and communities with personal and social transformation.

Lee offers a powerful testament of the responsibility to our fellow neighbors and communities of color, and a blueprint for growing what is needed to create caring and more prosperous BIPOC communities. Lee’s framework is clear and compelling in its simplicity. We hope it speaks to you and encourages a robust dialogue about “Undoing Racism”.

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Prologue

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acial equity is a priority topic of discussion at the heart of many conversations and roundtables in our world today; in particular, the United States of America. To best understand

the issues surrounding this topic, requires answering a myriad of

questions that need to be answered.

How can racial equity best be understood by those have had the advantage of living in a country where sections of the population have enjoyed the benefits of centuries of socioeconomic advantages, at the expense of others? Is it even possible to balance the scales of inequity? How can racial equity best be understood by those with a sincere desire to reverse these effects, and become immersed in the journey of achieving racial equity?

First, let us define the term Racial Equity: According to the organization Race Forward, the meaning of racial equity is the

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process of eliminating racial disparities and improving outcomes for everyone. It is the intentional and continual practice of changing policies, practices, systems, and structures by prioritizing measurable change in the lives of people of color.

Second, let us define the term Operationalize: According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the meaning of operationalize, or operationalization, whether in research design, especially in psychology, social sciences, life sciences and physics, is a process of defining the measurement of a phenomenon that is not directly measurable, though its existence is inferred by other phenomena.

These two words are very powerful and form the basis of the dialogue we will put forth in the following pages. It is our desire that you read with an open mind and heart. We never know when the corridors of our minds will be illuminated with new thoughts and ideas. Be prepared to embrace an understanding that could only come from changing your position, to change your perception.

Our hope is that the questions you may have and more, will be answered in the forthcoming pages of this guidebook. These are presented as solutions, that when implemented, could very well achieve the desired outcome of a world committed to achieving socio-economic sustainability for communities of color.

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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that…

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… Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Church leader and civil rights advocate

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Reach Intransitive verb | rēch To stretch out or put forth (a body part); extend.

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or racial equity to actually become a reality, those who have been resigned to live with the greatest amount of socioeconomic barriers built around them, must feel a sense that

those who have had more resources, are genuinely making a concerted effort to reach them, right where they are.

Too many times, government systems at the federal, state, and local levels, form policies that are disconnected from the life realities of the people for whom they are supposedly written. For example, when it comes to housing and homeownership, existing barriers can be found by way of antiquated zoning ordinances, unscrupulous and seedy lending practices, NIMBYism, etc.

From a business perspective, economic barriers can be the non-inclusion of BIPOC contractors in the trades industries, having to compete with The Good Ol’ Boy Network in the RFI, RFQ, RFP

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process, lack of access to start-up capital for start-ups and new businesses, or having to deal with mounds of additional regulations for BIPOC enterprises, that are not required of other non-minorities, and more.

Being able to reach is of utmost importance to any successful undertaking. If one does not reach, one will never touch the intended target. In the business of establishing racial equity, people are the greatest resource in the equation. They must be reached for by the hand that can grasp all the pain, suffering, anguish, sorrow, disappointment, and frustration that life can bring. Then, that same hand that reaches must possess the capacity of holding on to the weight of what they reached for, without letting go.

Reaching must also be undertaken with a mindset that does not label those who we are striving to reach as poor or less valuable. Why? Because they are anything but less valuable in any way. The difference is, they just may not have access to the same privileges and power as someone of a different status.

No good investor strives to fail. No good athlete competes to not win. No good person wakes up every morning to lose. There is a measure of goodness in every human being, and when we label people by their race, we take from them a degree of humanity that is worth so much more than the labels we place upon them. This changes the whole paradigm, and what or who you may not have reached for before, with a new perspective, could very well be the people who are the greatest investment you will ever make. We are reaching for greatness, excellence, brilliance, and genius.

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CHECK LIST My goals to reach people of color are: Speak more often to my neighbors, who are people of color.

Give my time to local causes within communities of color.

Compliment people of color randomly and often.

Invite people of color to join in the experiences of my world.

Write a letter or kind note of thanks to a person of color.

Make a surprise phone call to connect with a person of color.

Ask a question to a person of color as a conversation starter.

Start a “cultural swap” in your world by sharing your interests.

Challenge yourself to reaching out to a person of color daily.

Commit to exploring media created by communities of color.

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Touch Intransitive verb | tŭch To cause or permit a part of the body, especially the hand or fingers, to come in contact with so as to feel.

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oes it do one any good to reach, but not make contact with their intended target? The answer is no. In communities of color, one of the things that is most critically needed, is

the personal touch of those who have achieved levels of success far beyond their own.

Science helps us understand that from a developmental standpoint, infants cannot survive without the human touch. It is a fact. Infants are fragile and vulnerable but can thrive when they are handled with care by those with the warm hands of love and kindness. And just like with an infant, when it comes to racial equity, those who are the most fragile and vulnerable among us, are the ones who are at risk of being left out of a myriad of opportunities that could help them to stabilize their income, savings, future, and overall asset holdings for generations to come.

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According to research shared by Psychology Today, humans “have developed complex languages, cultures, and emotional expression through physical contact, be it warm handshake, a sympathetic hug, or a congratulatory pat on the back. Our skin is our largest organ and very responsive. The warmth of something as simple as holding someone’s hand is translated through our physiology as “I care.”

Unfortunately, one’s skin color could prevent them from feeling the touch of another caring human being who could be the bridge to their healing. And as much as the human touch possesses the power to do good, the absence of that same touch can lead to many issues and problems that can haunt a person all the way to their grave. For those who struggle with mental illness, anxiety, clinical depression, bi-polar disorders, autism, and other dis-eases, it is amazing how much the non-verbal act of a human touch can connect with a person’s subconscious in ways that words cannot.

Government policies are written on pages and pages of paper, stacked on the desks of politicians, and never are the real vehicle of change. It takes someone, some person, a human being who can take what is written on the pages of policy papers, written laws, and mandates, and put them into action. It is then that we can have the greatest impact on the world around us. When we make the effort to touch the lives of those who are not like us, with a genuine intent to show kindness and good will, we touch the heart of God.

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TIMELINE What I am doing to touch the lives of people of color: Date: ___/___/_____

Date: ___/___/_____

Date: ___/___/_____

Date: ___/___/_____

Date: ___/___/_____

Date: ___/___/_____

Date: ___/___/_____

Date: ___/___/_____

Date: ___/___/_____

Date: ___/___/_____

What did I do to touch someone’s life today?

What did I do to touch someone’s life today?

What did I do to touch someone’s life today?

What did I do to touch someone’s life today?

What did I do to touch someone’s life today?

What did I do to touch someone’s life today?

What did I do to touch someone’s life today?

What did I do to touch someone’s life today?

What did I do to touch someone’s life today?

What did I do to touch someone’s life today?

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Feel Intransitive verb | fēl To perceive through the sense of touch.

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eing able to feel, helps us bond with the infirmities of the weak, the living conditions of the pre-wealthy, and the life challenges of the underprivileged. When we feel their pain,

their struggles, and their inequities, we are better equipped to serve their needs. And their needs are many.

Capitalism, on which our entire financial system is built, is incapable of feeling anything. It is a non-human thing which has no feelings at all. When it comes to racial equity, feeling requires a human being who has the desire to be intimately connected with the needs of communities of colors. This connection then acts as the conduit for linking key resources to the needs of the people.

For example, take a good look at the modern-day for-profit industrial prison complex, invented in 1983. T. Don Hutto and Tom Beasley strung up barbed wire around a motel in Houston, Texas, to

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incarcerate Latin American and Caribbean immigrants for the U.S. government. This marked the beginnings of the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA), now known as CoreCivic. A year later, the founding of Wackenhut Corrections Corporation was established, today known as the GEO Group, Inc., which happens to be the world’s largest for-profit prison company. (See the 2020 report by Worth Rises).

Backed by policy decisions and lucrative federal contracts, the private prison industry thrived. Moreover, it has become the holding tank for a disproportionate number of men and women of color, who are disconnected from their families, communities, and social circles. This disconnection has prevented many of these men and women from the critical human resources they need to reimagine a live beyond bars. Consequently, once released, many of them return to the same place which left them disconnected and end up back behind bars.

Since capitalism in and of itself cannot feel anything, what if we use this powerful economic system to create more ways to connect with those who have been adversely affected by it? What if we instead leverage capitalism to empower those same men and women? What if instead of creating economic hurdles, we create economic bridges? What if instead of taxing the pre-wealthy and allowing the wealthy to escape those same taxes via loopholes and crafty accounting, we level the playing field and create a system where the wealthy and the pre-wealthy were equitably taxed?

What if we used the enormous power of the US economic machine, as an access hub for everyone, irrespective of their position in life?

These questions have answers, but the answers require the involvement of people who have reached, touched, and now feel the plight of the pre-wealthy.

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GOALS My personal goals to empower people of color: Goal #1 Describe your Goal: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________

Goal #3 Describe your Goal: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________

Goal #2 Describe your Goal: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________

Goal #4 Describe your Goal: _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________

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Help Intransitive verb | hĕlp To give assistance to (someone); make it easier for (someone) to do something; aid.

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or those individuals who have access to key resources that can help turn someone’s life around, it is imperative for them to lend a helping hand to others, when given the opportunity,

particularly when it comes to communities of color.

Understanding the difficulties, oppression, or disadvantage of one’s life experience, can open a much-needed portal for the distribution and delivery of educational, financial, economic, and social empowerment.

This kind of help creates balance, or rather asset equity, which then leads to long-term stability in the lives of those who must interact with a marketplace that is driven by free enterprise. We are not talking about help that keeps the one in need in a perpetual position of needing more. But rather, the kind of help we are proposing is the kind that empowers an individual to thrive.

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It is a fact of life that helping others is an essential part of humanity. When we bond together and help our fellow humans, it creates a bond that cannot be broken. Particularly in times of tragedy, disaster, and calamity, it is the human spirit that moves us to give and serve others who are in need. When we help others, we create the life stories of our history. It builds upon the treasures good deeds that form the basis for inspiring others to do the same.

Communities of color have been some of the hardest hit segments of society. From slavery to Jim Crow, to redlining, to economic oppression, to being disqualified, to being left out of the room of opportunity, many people of color in America have historically had the most difficult time, in terms of achieving the American Dream.

So, what kind of help really, truly helps? That is the milliondollar question. Some forms of help only create cycles of poverty.

They do nothing to offer someone a long-term outlook for success.

As defined by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, help is giving assistance or support… or providing something that is useful or necessary in achieving an end. Key words “achieving an end.”

With this definition in mind, achieving and end should be the goal of anything we do to help, assist, or support someone. Help should not cause someone to remain as you found them, but rather real help should cause someone to achieve the result of getting back on their feet. From there, they can develop a sense of selfpride, become self-empowered, and eventually become selfsustained moving forward.

This is the kind of help that leads to the person who received help, being able to pay it forward one day. This kind of help creates cycles of prosperity, as opposed to cycles of poverty.

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CHECKLIST My personal checklist to help people of color:

CALL CONGRESS: Every person in the United States has 3 representatives in Congress (2 Senators and 1 Representative in the House). By calling these 3 peoples’ offices each week, individuals can show the Congressmen the issues that they care about. Calling your congressmen is a simple process. The message you need to say is simple: “My name is ___________, I live in _________, and I want to raise the funding for helping communities of color,” or something similar.

FUNDRAISE: Another one of the ways to help people of color is through fundraising. Contact people about various organizations to donate to or use sites like Go Fund Me or Crowd Rise to start a campaign for someone you believe needs help.

CREATE AWARENESS: If you care about people of color, be sure that other people do too, but may just be unaware of how they can help. You can share info on different BIPOC organizations with your colleagues, family, and friends.

SOCIAL CONSCIOUS SPENDING: One of the remarkable ways to help people of color is by being a consumer of BIPOC businesses. This can happen by buying products from ecommerce websites or brick and mortar stores that are owned or operated by people of color.

DONATE: One of the quickest and most obvious ways to help people of color is to donate to charities that directly support communities of color. For example, the NAACP - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, UNCF - United Negro College Fund, NUL - National Urban League, etc.

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Change Intransitive verb | chānj To cause to be different.

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he challenge of accomplishing everything written on the previous pages is quite a task for anyone. But when we make the effort to do everything within our power to reach > touch >

feel > help > change the world around us, we can be confident of the fact that we worked toward the goal of changing someone’s life, for the good. Change happens when we first change.

Change also happens when we act as conduits and provide access to networks of opportunity happening around us. If the prewealthy, underprivileged, left out, and disadvantaged never have access to homeownership, equity, or market resources, they will never have increase.

If we operationalize the access, the increase will flow. I will repeat. If we operationalize the access, the increase will flow. Got it? Good!

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Do you remember the word “operationalize”? We discussed it in a previous section of this guidebook. It is described as: a process of defining the measurement of a phenomenon that is not directly measurable, though its existence is inferred by other phenomena.

So, with everything we do to foster the growth of racial equity, it is imperative we do it in a way that can be visibly measured. So how do we measure something that is not directly measurable? We do it through our actions, and not by our words.

Anyone can talk about it, but can you, do it? Can you be the agent of change that the world needs? Can you break historical stereotypes, and be a part of helping to turn the tide of history for communities of color? Yes, you can.

When other people visibly see the good work of others, it has an effect of inspiring them to do the same. Communities of color around this nation, wherever they may reside, are waiting for someone to reach > touch > feel > help > change the world around them. And when you play a role in doing that, you will not only inspire other to do the same, but you will create a lasting legacy, by being one of the ones who made a different during the years you have been blessed to live on this earth.

You see, when we are all long gone and the stories of our lives have been written, the only thing that people will remember is that small marking on our tombstone called “the dash.” What will your dash say about you? How will those who yet remain, remember you? Hopefully this guidebook has helped presented some food for thought on how we all begin the journey to achieving socio-economic sustainability for communities of color.

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TRACKER My support as an agent of change for people of color: PROGRESS: 0%

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Project 01 Project 02 Project 03 Project 04 Project 05 Project 06 Project 07 Project 08 Project 09 Project 10

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Epilogue

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he journey has begun, and the road that lies ahead will have its twists and turns, but you’ve made the decision to be a part of the keychain. This is not a decision to be taken lightly, rather it

required an enormous amount of courage.

Society, can sometimes shun those who step out from the pack, become agents of an exceptional position, while leaving behind those who choose to conform to the status quo. You, however, have made a seminal choice that will have lasting implications, for the good.

The previous pages of this guidebook uncovered the 5 keys that can lead to achieving racial equity. The approach was not an attempt to propose some deep philosophical exercise that leads to a complicated undertaking. Quite frankly, the five keys we are presenting here are very elementary. This is by design.

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The approach in introducing the perspectives in this guidebook are to exhibit the simplicity of sustainability. To have sustainability for anything that was created or that has evolved, these 4 factors must exist: 1) It must be renewable, 2) It must be repeatable, 3) It must be duplicatable, and 4) It must be attainable.

The absence of either of these 4 factors, prohibits sustainability. So, now you see that if we presented a deep psychological teaching, it would not be sustainable, it would only be reserved for a select group of intellectual elites.

The simplicity of sustainability can be seen all throughout the universe and nature. It is what makes the earth to spin on its axis non-stop, without the need to be rewound, and it is what makes the sun, moon, and stars appear every day, without the need to be rescheduled. If we are going to have lasting results from the work of creating racial equity, our collective effort must be sustainable.

But what is the engine of sustainability? It is not a mystery, and the simple truth is that it is love. Yes, that’s right, love. A profound writer once put it this way, “If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy, but I don’t love, I am nothing. If I speak with power, revealing all mysteries, making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that can moves mountains, but I don’t love, then I am nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I am bankrupt without love.”

So, in all that we do to reach > touch > feel > help > change the world around us, let it be done with love as our North Star. Let love be the fuel that powers the engine of our sustainability. Let love be our guiding light in a world that demands racial equity. And finally, let love the verb that empowers us to begin the journey to achieve socio-economic sustainability for communities of color.

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“Not everything that is faced can be changed....

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… but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

- James Baldwin African American writer and activist

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Credits Quote by Congresswoman Barbara C. Jordan, pages 1, 2 Definitions by Merriam-Webster, pages 6, 22 Quote by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., pages 8, 9 Research by Psychology Today on the Power of Human Touch, page 14 2020 Report by Worth Rises on the prison complex, pages 17, 18 Quote by Linda Ellis, pages 30, 31 Excerpt by Paul the Apostle from I Corinthians 13, page 32 Quote by James Baldwin pages 33, 34

The 5 Keys to Operationalize Racial Equity Written by J.D. Lee Foreword by Linda Fowler

© JDL, All Rights Reserved Worldwide

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“So, when your eulogy is being read, with your life's actions to rehash...

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…would you be proud of the things they say, about how you spent your dash?”

- Linda Ellis Excerpt from the poem “The Dash”

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“There is no greater treasure to discover…

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…than the jewel of a loving human touch.”

- J.D. Lee Visionary

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