Services & Workshops
Our Services typically begin with scheduling an REI Workshop or Groundwater Presentation. Before scheduling, please read the below host guide to understand the responsibilities and logistics associated with hosting a workshop. Thank you!
Racial Equity Workshop
The Racial Equity Institute’s two-day workshop is designed to help participants understand racism as a systemic and structural issue rather than solely a matter of individual bias. Through a historical and cultural lens, the workshop explores how systems and institutions shape outcomes in ways that may perpetuate inequities.
Key topics include:
- The fish/lake/groundwater framework for understanding structural dynamics.
- Exploring implicit bias and strategies to address it.
- Connections between race, poverty, and geographic context.
- Understanding markedness theory and institutional power structures.
- The historical role of race in shaping economic and policy development.
- Racial identity and its relationship to institutional culture.
The workshop aims to foster a shared understanding and language and equip participants with insights and tools to identify inequities and collaborate toward meaningful, systems-level change.
Groundwater Presentation
The Groundwater Presentation is a three-hour session designed to introduce key concepts of equity and inclusion, with the flexibility to adjust for shorter sessions or to explore topics in greater depth over a full day.
This engaging and interactive presentation uses stories and data to highlight the systemic nature of inequities. Participants will examine contemporary disparities through a structural lens, gaining insights that are both practical and relevant.
The Groundwater Presentation complements our two-day workshop and is often used as an introduction or follow-up session. It can also be tailored to focus on specific topics or areas of interest based on the needs of the audience.
Groundwater Presentation: Asian Americans
A standard REI Groundwater Presentation is recommended before attending a Groundwater Presentation: Asian Americans. The Groundwater Presentation: Asian Americans is a three-hour introduction to racial inequities experienced by Asian Americans, and we can adjust to accommodate a shorter time slot if needed.
In this presentation, our trainers will use data and research that builds on the analysis of structural racism put forth by the standard Groundwater Presentation to examine the outcomes of Asian Americans. While a surface look at these outcomes may appear to favor Asian Americans, a closer examination using specific approaches to data for this community reveals a more complex understanding of inequities experienced by Asian Americans.
The Groundwater Presentation: Asians Americans is recommended to follow the completion of the standard REI Groundwater Presentation and serves as a complement to both the Groundwater Presentation and the 2-day Phase I workshop. The Groundwater Presentation: Asian Americans is led by Reiney Lin, an organizer, and trainer with the Racial Equity Institute, a consultant with the Groundwater Institute, and a co-director, community lab leader, and instructor for the Asian American Justice and Innovation Lab. She has been training with REI since 2016, and she continues to bring Asian American perspectives to REI’s analysis of historical and structural racism.
Latino Challenges Workshop
Latino Challenges is a two-day workshop for people who live in or work with Latino communities and are interested in ending racial disparities in our institutions and working together for social justice. Participants engage in a critical analysis of how racism dis-empowers Latinos, hindering both individual well-being and community development. We examine how Latinos have been racialized in the US, as well as the cultural backdrop of race and racism in Latin America that shapes our layered identity today. At the same time, we explore how our particular cultures, identities and histories of struggle are vital sources of strength for individuals and families of Latin American origin in the United States. Further, we directly address how racism is used as a wedge between Latinos and African Americans and undermines the anti-racism movement.
The Latino Challenges Workshop is lead by Dr. Raúl Quiñones-Rosado and María I. Reinat-Pumarejo, Latino community educators and antiracism organizers for over 25 years. In their work throughout the United States, in Puerto Rico, and internationally, they apply the principles and practices of consciousness-in-action, antiracism organizing, and integral transformative leadership. María is Founder, Director and Senior Organizer of Colectivo Ilé, and is a Core Trainer with The People’s Institute for Survival & Beyond. Raúl, Trainer-Consultant and Director of Latino Affairs for the Racial Equity Institute, is a liberation psychologist and author of Consciousness-in-Action: Toward an Integral Psychology of Liberation & Transformation.
Racial Equity Leadership Institute for Youth
The Racial Equity Institute offers a two-day Racial Equity Leadership Institute for Youth, designed for high school students to explore the role of young people in fostering positive social change and systems transformation. This workshop, adapted from the REI adult program, incorporates videos and interactive exercises tailored to educate participants on the historical and institutional factors shaping contemporary society. The program also focuses on equipping young people with the knowledge and tools to contribute to building a more equitable and inclusive future.
Racial/Ethnic Affinity Group Development Process Consultation & Technical Assistance
Our process is designed to offer people of similar cultural/racial and ethnic backgrounds an opportunity to discuss the issues experienced as a member of that particular entity. These discussions are offered as a guide to practicing dialogue about the unique realities of our collectives. These shared experiences are to be used as the beginning of a process that will progress into cross cultural/racial/ethnic dialogue. The affinity group process offers participants the opportunity to engage in planning and the creation of strategy. This dialogue presents a powerful environment for honesty, understanding and cooperative learning.
Ongoing Racial Equity Collaboration & Consulting
Our racial equity collaboration and consulting services support institutions, organizations, and networks in applying the concepts and tools introduced in our workshops. We work closely with clients to develop actionable plans, including clear goals and strategies for meaningful change. This process involves ongoing reflection to enhance understanding, monitor progress, document insights, and refine approaches as needed.
We provide additional training and research tailored to each organization’s unique challenges and opportunities, fostering an environment for continuous learning and growth. Our work also includes examining organizational practices and policies to identify areas for improvement, paying attention to cultural norms that may shape decision-making and interactions. This collaborative process embraces experimentation, adaptation, and learning to advance equity goals effectively.