About Us
Challenging Racism (CR) is an Arlington-based 501(c)3 and our mission is to empower and inspire people to disrupt racism one compassionate conversation at a time. For more than 20 years, we have trained organizations and individuals using professionally designed and facilitated programs to build awareness and skills to courageously talk about race and equity. We offer introductory programs, topic-specific workshops, book/podcast/movie discussions, and facilitator training. We also provide DEIBA (diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and accessibility) advisory services for organizations to effectively disrupt all “-isms” in the workplace.
Our approach is based on conversations and storytelling, rooted in facts and local history, to create a shared experience that dispels dangerous myths and assumptions. We invest the time and self-reflection needed to build deep knowledge, skills, and practice to normalize conversations on race and othering, and to hold the difficult conversations necessary to advance systems-level change.
We serve diverse participants from a wide range of local partners including government, schools, non-profits, faith groups, theatre companies, and the private sector. We build the capacity of the organizations we engage with so that they can assess and lead their own social and racial equity programs, and our alumni go on to act as change agents in the community.
Challenging Racism is a ”small but mighty” non-profit organization, dedicated to advancing intersectional anti-biased and anti-racist work in our diverse but segregated communities across Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV). We are Black-led, staffed majority by women, and benefit from the guidance and wisdom of our talented and diverse Board.