The Equity Lab takes on the nation’s biggest challenges of individual, institutional, and systemic inequity.
Our society cannot reach its highest ideals until racism is eradicated.
The Equity Lab works with organizations and individuals who are committed to engaging in the serious, difficult, and deeply necessary work of antiracism. By developing an understanding of identity and historical and cultural contexts, our partners are empowered to become agents of progress in their personal and professional spheres. We aim to serve as firm but supportive guides in this journey, providing honest guidance, ongoing partnership, and a brave, compassionate space to do what we know is both challenging and necessary work.
While the American promise says that every citizen has the opportunity to define and pursue their own destiny, we know that racism — individual, institutional, and structural — consistently places significant obstacles in the paths of our citizens of color. The Equity Lab believes that the development of a more fair and just society is the responsibility of all public sectors and that our work is to commit individuals and institutions to this shared promise — where the pursuit of happiness is not simply an ideal, but a reality.
Our vision
Our vision is of an equitable, anti-racist citizenry, steeped in action that seeks out and eradicates oppressive systems, creating a more humane and just society.
Our mission
Our mission is to support individuals and institutions as they take on our most intractable race, equity, diversity, and inclusion (REDI) problems, accelerating our transition toward a more liberatory, community-centered society that values the gifts and potential of all of its members.
Our theory of change
We believe that individuals' mindsets will serve as the primary engine for disrupting and positively changing the organizations, institutions, structures, and systems that maintain racism and oppression. The edification and collaboration of all people — the decision-makers, the influencers, the revolutionaries, the traditionalists — is the key to designing and implementing the changes we must see in laws, policies, and practices for an equitable future.
We believe that change comes from within. Through our engagements, fellowships, institutes, and open-source materials, we build individual and collective will, skill, knowledge, and courage to interrupt racial inequities. We work to transform the knowledge base, mindsets, and daily behavior of cross-sector organizations and individuals so they view and act in their roles, both present and future, with an equity lens.