Equity Meets Design

Our latest newsletter featured the work of Issachar Curbeon, Equity Meets Design’s first official Apprentice! She is building super interesting, piercingly wonderful, and incredibly powerful design methodologies and frameworks about the role of emotions in the equityXdesign process (can you tell I'm a fan? ??). Below is a small preview of the newsletter, but be sure to check out the full version in the comments, along with learning offerings we created in order to bring this work to your organization ????. ### "If you’re here, chances are it’s because you are working to make the world a better place. You may or may not think of yourself as an activist, advocate, or changemaker – but you do recognize that there is no such thing as being neutral in this world: either we’re working to fight racism and other forms of oppression that have manifested themselves in our fields, organizations, and day-to-day work . . . or we’re complicit in maintaining them. You’re here because you truly and fundamentally believe a different way is possible, and necessary. That’s why we’re here too. But damn. It’s f??cking hard. It’s hard because we’re fundamentally on a mission to create something that has never existed before and/or to build something that outlasts the rapidly shifting systems we’re fighting against.1 It’s hard because we don’t have enough time and resources to do all the things we want to do. It’s hard because we’re working against structures that are often more financially resourced than us. It's hard because we’re tasked with transforming systems that operate in secretive ways and yet we still have to call out what we see, even when those things are not obvious to the general public. And while we’re feeling the big feelings that come with everything we’ve already mentioned – we also are working to reveal these systems – both to ourselves and to others. To see them clearly and not adhere to any of the delusions that tell us: 'Things are not that bad' or 'we just need to work harder and this will resolve itself' or 'this issue will blow over' (yes, we are also gaslit by systems!) or 'oh, that person is the problem – if we get rid of them, we’ll get rid of the issue' or 'it only happened once, it's not a real problem.' We have to fight to not shrink, distort, or dissociate from what we see. On top of it all we are often tasked with having to lean in even closer to heartbreaking conditions and see more of the harm in order to truly understand the problem. So, when you are a leader in your field, it is critical that you explore any obstructions to your vision (brings a new light to the word 'visionary')." ??CONTINUED @ THE LINK IN COMMENTS?? ### Footnotes: 1.?Sujatha Jesudason's thinking introduced me to the idea that systems of oppression are rapidly ideating so we also need to be rapidly ideating. She created Corealign with this idea in mind for the Reproductive Justice movement.

So you want to *co-design*, but not sure where to start? ?? For us, it looks like working through three main questions: ?? ???1. What is the?*actual*?problem we're trying to tackle? ???2. Who has the expertise we *really* need to?understand this problem and develop solutions that work? ???3. What could our design process look like, *concretely*, given our (institutional, budgetary, etc.) constraints? We've created a 5-week Designing Design (Co-Design) Cohort experience to get you the guidance, practice, support, and accountability you need to work through these important questions and co-design your next initiative with clarity and confidence. ?? ?? ?? Curious? Session details, schedule, and cost are in the comments below! Drop us a line at [email protected] with any other questions ?? Sold? Secure your spot at https://lnkd.in/eiRjgRwx ?? We hope to see you there ??