The racial reckoning of 2020 compelled the anti-sexual and domestic violence movement to
look inward and examine our own organizational relationships and practices. We discovered
that while we had progressed from the 1970s, many advocates reportedly felt invisible,
voiceless, and that their home rape crisis centers were indifferent to racism. How could we be
advocates of justice in the streets, but not in as dedicated a fashion amongst ourselves, with
each other, across strata in our workplaces? We realized cross cultural discussions and
multiculturalism were not enough: transformation was needed.
In this session we will discuss how we center equity and justice as workplace values that guide
organizational practices, structures, and operations such as hiring, training, and promotions,
fund development, community collaborations and partnerships, personnel management,
intercollegial conflicts, and board development. This introduction to VALOR’s Anti-Oppression
Framework is not a quick-fix approach manual, but rather we will take a deep dive into the
ways assumptions, biases, and prejudices create an oppressive workplace culture, and point to
practical implementation strategies that make equity and justice an everyday practice.

By the end of this session, participants will:

• Determine the difference between a social justice model and a social service model to clarify their organizational values.
• Clarify and assess their organizational values to assist in the organizational change process.
• Explore the basic tenets of creating organizational change from visioning, planning, and action.