The staff of ACCE Institute is committed to helping community members unpack and tackle the issues that most negatively impact their lives – especially as they help lead to racial, social, and economic justice. ACCE Institute developed an analysis and framework through which organizations and their members can view issues and develop issue campaign plans taking into account Race and Class, two of the most impactful and divisive systems of oppression people face today. While we acknowledge that other critical systems of oppression are at play in people’s lives and must be addressed, we have chosen to focus on Race and Class because of their particularly significant role in the equity gaps people face here in California.

The reality of WHO poverty impacts in California has a strong racial dimension. The WHAT and WHY’s of upcoming battles for poor Californians will continue to have a strong racial dynamic that is largely un-named in the strategic orientation of most economic justice groups. A singular focus on economic disparity or racial inequity without a strong intersectional analysis does not accurately reflect the political landscape in California. This partial diagnosis leads to strategies and campaign decisions that do not holistically address the reality of the base we seek to organize, does not accurately assess nor address the motivations of the opposition, and misses a key component to reaching the field of would-be allies.

The REJ training lays out an analysis and framework that is intended to facilitate an organizational learning dialogue around the intersection of racial and economic justice where key players in the organization build shared language, surface differences, and align around commonalities. They then can begin to think openly and critically about how this strategic orientation can be applied to movement work. The goal is to help stakeholders see the broader impact of their issue fights, which enables them to make strategic decisions that more accurately and adequately address those issues. The result -more focused campaign outcomes that impact a wider base of people.