Crafting Your Equity Lens

It’s easy to become overwhelmed as you navigate the learning and unlearning necessary to shape a more equitable world. The “Crafting Your Equity Lens™” workshop establishes an evolving light of guidance to motivate, inspire and push you to take deliberate actions every day.

Prior to the first Zoom session, Matthew Reynolds and Orion Bradshaw sent out front-loading materials with which to familiarize ourselves. This was a crash course in white privilege, internalized racism, critical race theory, and other terms with which those who study anti-racism may already be familiar. These materials did a great job of bringing certain thoughts to the forefront of my mind and preparing me for what would be covered during the sessions. I experienced a lot of introspection during this time, as I mulled over what terms like “community” and “equity” mean to me and the challenges I have faced in striving to build both in the real world and online.

Photo by: Eric Mclean

Leading up to the first session, I was anxious to see who would be in my cohort, what topics would be discussed, and excited to develop my equity lens with others. It’s been more than 10 years since I was last in a classroom, but I found as I worked through the front-loading materials that my studying abilities were slowly coming back to me. Although I was somewhat familiar with the source material, I gained new perspectives as I worked through it.

Each of the three nights spent with my cohort flew by. We watched videos together, discussed our reactions and shared first-hand accounts from our own lived experiences. There was laughter and camaraderie, confusion, curiosity and sometimes tears as we each reflected on the material being shared and found common ground between us. The entire experience was enveloped in the support and care shown by our facilitators, Matthew and Orion and mirrored by each of those in attendance.

We were encouraged to keep a journal for the duration of the workshop, and I’ve found that a lot of my personal growth is recorded there. It is invaluable to be able to flip through a few pages and see abstract thought become more and more solidified as the days pass. Each of the three 3-hour sessions provided opportunities for growth, learning and unlearning, and the development of my own, unique equity lens.

I feel like I am better supported on my journey now that I have created my equity lens. I feel empowered, capable and ready for action and continued learning. The members of my cohort have established a group text where we can continue to share our equity lenses as they evolve, and share what’s working and where we struggle.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to Matthew, Orion and the members of my cohort. The space provided was positive, supportive and educational. “Crafting Your Equity Lens™” offered me the resources, perspective and time of reflection that I needed to continue moving forward in my anti-racism journey, a journey that I will continue for the rest of my life.

If you are looking for some direction or a shift in perspective on your anti-racism journey, please consider signing up for an upcoming “Crafting Your Equity Lens™” workshop. There are already dates announced for July and October 2026. You can register and learn more at www.mrrconsulting.org.