Disrupting Structural Racism in LGBTQ+ Health Organizations Through Equity Committee Work

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Social Justice
• Organizational Development
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Background:

• Traditional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts often focus on individual bias awareness and affinity groups.
• These approaches frequently lack systems-level analysis and deep cultural transformation.
• There is a need for more profound strategies to dismantle systemic inequities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design an equity committee process that integrates public health and social justice principles.
• To develop a tool, the Designing Equity Continuum, for deeper DEI work and cultural transformation.
• To explore practical implications for implementing systemic DEI initiatives in organizations.

Main Methods:

• Designed the Designing Equity Continuum, a four-phase tool for equity committees.
• Presented the tool and process to 90 staff members across 50 nonprofit organizations in New York State.
• Collected participant feedback on the presented content and tool.

Main Results:

• All participants reported being 'very satisfied' with the content presented.
• The Designing Equity Continuum was found to be a valuable tool for exploring deeper DEI work.
• Key implications for practice were identified, highlighting organizational readiness and capacity needs.

Conclusions:

• The Designing Equity Continuum offers a structured approach to advance DEI beyond traditional methods.
• Successful implementation requires addressing organizational structures, capacity building, and dedicated time for understanding the tool.
• Recommendations include supporting racial identity-based affinity groups and ensuring equity committees function independently from employee resource groups.