Sarah Murphy

Racial Equity Roundtable: Cohorts to Catalyze Organizational Change

More and more institutions—across sectors—realize the imperative of incorporating racial equity into their structure, policies, and practices; but they struggle with the how. The Racial Equity Roundtable is a facilitated monthly cohort model for these institutions. This session offers activities that engage the Roundtable’s main objectives: building a network of radically collaborative leaders, problem-solving, and creating an action plan to infuse racial equity in organizational transformation.

The Roundtable is part of the Build Racial Equity Capacity component of Forward Through Ferguson’s #STL2039 Action Plan to achieve a St. Louis region where racial equity is the reality by 2039—a generation after the killing of Michael Brown Jr. catalyzed the #Ferguson uprising. The MO Governor-appointed Ferguson Commission identified racial inequity as the primary root cause of #Ferguson and the global #BlackLivesMatter movement. Embracing the Ferguson Commission’s mandate, Forward Through Ferguson centers impacted communities and mobilizes accountable bodies to advance racially equitable systems and policies that ensure all people in the St. Louis region can thrive.

Presenters Faybra Hemphill (she/her) and Sarah Murphy (she/they) have facilitated three cohorts of the Roundtable since spring 2020, working with leaders from philanthropic, direct service, financial, K-12 and higher education, and healthcare organizations to identify their baselines, build analytical and relational skills to spread awareness of racial inequity, deepen understanding of the current dynamics within organizational systems and cultures, and create targeted action plans to advance equitable policies in their systems and address white supremacy culture in their daily habits and team operations.

Speakers: Faybra Hemphill, Sarah Murphy