How We Practice Anti-Racism
In Branch Out Alternative Breaks, we are committed to being anti-racist: the practice of actively opposing racism. We acknowledge the presence of racism both historically and presently in our community. Our values of education, inclusion, and social justice guide our discussions, working to both learn from and teach one another.
Through collective leadership, we strive to identify, address and combat all levels of racism. Here are some ways in which we actively practice anti-racism:- Our Site Leaders research how racism impacts the issues they’re addressing on breaks and share it in their pre-trip education sessions.
- We integrate a framework of anti-Blackness and how it could affect alternative breaks into our Site Leader training, which we believe is important for understanding how anti-Blackness is wielded in the racialization of other groups.
- We ask our community partners about how they’re working against racism, and share our own commitments.
- We seek to work with partners whose leadership reflects or includes the communities they’re representing and those who are affected by issues they’re addressing.
- We engage in critical reflection, seeking to understand how racism impacts our communities and our work on alternative breaks.
This is a living document and we welcome any of your feedback as we constantly question how we can create a more inclusive and equitable community. Please feel free to [[wmbranchout, email us]].