Thinking of hiring an anti-racism consultant? Read this first.

As the influx of interest in anti-racism and anti-oppression work continues to grow, I think it’s important for organizational leaders to consider how they go about hiring anti-racism consultants to help them on their journey. Here are some things you need to know:

1. Be critical of major organizations and universities that have developed anti-racism courses and advice columns overnight. Among university leaders, boards, and senior leaders across the U.S., the demographics skew largely cis, male, and white. Because of the increased investment in anti-racism consulting and training, a number of these organizations have created course, advice columns, and marketing strategies that on the surface could seem to center anti-racism work in equitable and integral ways. Analyze that. Ask yourself, “If this organization had the resources, prior to the global protests, to invest in building expertise related to anti-racism, why didn’t they build that expertise before? What makes them so well-versed in anti-racism work now?”
2. Think about what the technology of structural and interpersonal racism can teach us about other unconscious and conscious biases we hold about trans consultants, fat consultants, dark-skinned consultants, consultants without degrees from Ivy League universities, etc., How is your hiring process informed by…