Anti Racism Course

Lesson 1 • Historical Roots of Racial Hierarchy

Racial hierarchies emerged through colonialism, slavery, and legal exclusion. Understanding origins reveals why disparities persist today.

Lesson 2 • Forms and Levels of Racism

Racism operates at individual, institutional, and structural levels. Distinguishing these levels enables targeted anti-racist responses.

Lesson 3 • Defining Race as a Social Construct

Race is examined as a historically produced category, not a biological fact. This grounds all subsequent analysis in evidence-based understanding.

Lesson 4 • Core Vocabulary of Racism

Key terms—prejudice, discrimination, bias, and racism—are defined with precision. Shared language prevents miscommunication throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Responding to Microaggressions

Practical response strategies are introduced for both targets and bystanders. Responses are calibrated to context, relationship, and safety.

Lesson 2 • How Implicit Bias Forms

Implicit bias develops through socialization, media, and repeated exposure to stereotypes. Understanding formation is the first step toward interruption.

Lesson 3 • Implicit Bias in Professional Settings

Bias shapes hiring, evaluation, and promotion decisions in measurable ways. Recognizing these patterns prepares learners to intervene effectively.

Lesson 4 • Defining and Categorizing Microaggressions

Microaggressions are brief, commonplace indignities that communicate racial hostility or invalidation. Taxonomy helps learners recognize subtle forms.

Lesson 1 • Education Inequity and Race

School funding tied to property taxes concentrates resources in white communities. Discipline disparities and curriculum gaps compound educational harm.

Lesson 2 • Economic Inequality and Race

Wage gaps, occupational segregation, and wealth disparities reflect compounded structural exclusion. Economic data grounds anti-racist policy arguments.

Lesson 3 • Racism in Healthcare Systems

Racial bias in diagnosis, treatment, and research produces measurable health disparities. Historical medical exploitation shapes present distrust.

Lesson 4 • Racial Disparities in Housing

Redlining, discriminatory lending, and exclusionary zoning created and sustain wealth gaps. Housing policy is a primary driver of racial inequality.

Lesson 1 • Race and Gender Intersections

Women of color face compounded barriers invisible to race-only or gender-only analysis. Case studies illustrate workplace and social impacts.

Lesson 2 • Applying Intersectionality in Practice

Intersectional analysis is applied to organizational policies and community programs. Learners audit existing frameworks for single-axis blind spots.

Lesson 3 • Race and Other Identity Dimensions

Disability, sexuality, immigration status, and religion intersect with race to shape distinct vulnerabilities. Inclusive anti-racism accounts for all axes.

Lesson 4 • Origins of Intersectionality Theory

Intersectionality emerged from Black feminist scholarship to address gaps in single-axis analysis. Its theoretical roots inform practical application.

Lesson 1 • Non-Racism vs. Anti-Racism

Non-racism avoids harm but leaves systems intact; anti-racism actively dismantles them. This distinction reframes personal responsibility.

Lesson 2 • Confronting Guilt, Shame, and Defensiveness

Guilt and defensiveness are common barriers to anti-racist growth. Transforming these emotions into productive action is a learnable skill.

Lesson 3 • Racial Identity Development

Racial identity develops through predictable stages for both people of color and white individuals. Stage awareness guides self-assessment and growth.

Lesson 4 • Accountability Without Perfectionism

Anti-racist practice involves making mistakes and repairing harm without self-paralysis. Accountability structures replace perfectionism with growth.

Lesson 1 • Digital and Social Media Communication

Online spaces amplify racial harm and anti-racist messaging alike. Learners apply dialogue principles to digital contexts with unique constraints.

Lesson 2 • Active Listening Across Racial Difference

Active listening in cross-racial dialogue requires suspending assumptions and centering the speaker's experience. It builds trust and reduces defensiveness.

Lesson 3 • Challenging Racist Statements Constructively

Effective challenges address the idea without attacking the person, preserving relationship and openness. Scripted responses reduce in-the-moment paralysis.

Lesson 4 • Principles of Courageous Conversation

Courageous conversation requires staying engaged, speaking your truth, and expecting discomfort. These norms create conditions for productive dialogue.

Lesson 1 • Auditing Organizational Racial Equity

A racial equity audit examines policies, data, and culture for disparate impact. Audit findings become the baseline for targeted interventions.

Lesson 2 • Equitable Hiring and Promotion

Structured processes reduce bias in recruitment, selection, and advancement decisions. Equitable hiring expands the talent pipeline and improves outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Inclusive Organizational Culture

Culture shapes whether diverse employees can contribute fully and stay. Inclusion requires deliberate norm-setting beyond demographic representation.

Lesson 4 • Anti-Racist Leadership Behaviors

Leaders model anti-racism through visible action, resource allocation, and accountability. Leadership behavior is the strongest predictor of organizational culture.

Lesson 1 • Designing a Personal Anti-Racist Action Plan

A personal action plan integrates learning into concrete commitments across spheres of influence. Plans are specific, time-bound, and accountability-linked.

Lesson 2 • Policy Advocacy and Racial Equity

Racial equity lenses applied to policy design prevent disparate impact before implementation. Advocacy skills translate analysis into legislative influence.

Lesson 3 • Community Organizing for Racial Justice

Organizing builds collective power among those most affected by racial harm. Learners apply core organizing principles to their professional contexts.

Lesson 4 • Theories of Change for Racial Justice

Different theories of change—reform, transformation, and abolition—imply different strategies and timelines. Choosing a theory aligns tactics with goals.