We are committed to bringing a racial equity lens to our work. Well-meaning organizations often work for equity with multiple understandings of racism that rely more on personal feelings and popular opinion than on an analysis of the systems and institutions that perpetuate disparate outcomes. The lack of a common analysis creates complications to the goal of eliminating racial and ethnic disparities and producing equitable outcomes. To build our capacity in this area, all Family Success Alliance staff receive racial equity training. FSA also encourages and supports its partners and Advisory Council members to receive the two-day Phase I Racial Equity Institute (REI) training sponsored by Chapel Hill-based Organizing Against Racism (OAR).

Through an equity lens we learn that racial inequity exists across systems and institutions in the United States, such as public health, criminal justice, education, etc. It will require systemic interventions and training to change thinking, reduce disparities, and improve outcomes for all populations. FSA is still growing in our understanding of the best way for us to approach this work and what our role is. We prioritize this kind of thinking in how we look at data, how we make decisions, and how we hold ourselves accountable to the community.