Letter from the Racial Equity Index Working Group
“Rest is a form of resistance because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy” - The Nap Ministry
TO OUR FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY
It is with deep care for our working group collective and fierce love for our global community that we share the announcement that The Racial Equity Index (REI) will be entering a year-long phase of rest, starting July 1, 2025.
The REI collective was founded in July 2020 from a truth that we could no longer ignore, the recognition that across the global development sector, philanthropists and development organizations are rarely, if ever, expected to examine the deeply entrenched and unaddressed racial inequity that exists and how they perpetuate this within their institutions and in their external programming and engagements. We came together as a global volunteer-led BIPOC collective to call it out and take bold action. Since our inception five years ago, we have been proud to accomplish:
The launch of the Global Mapping Survey in 10 languages. With over 700 responses from 83 countries, we conducted an in-depth analysis to determine the selection of indicators that would be used for the index.
The release of a blog “We Need to Talk,” and podcast series, centering overdue discussions around systemic racism in the international development sector.
Organized a 1-day event, We *Still* Need to Talk: Talking Truth on Racial Equity in Global Development, on the two-year anniversary of the formation of our BIPOC-led Collective.
Featured in several publications contributing to sector-wide conversations and invited to participate in public events, including pieces in Bond, The New Humanitarian (here and here), and the podcast Radhacal Good.
Developed a comprehensive first draft of the Index, including survey questions and a scoring methodology.
Established a Learning Partnership with The Better Org to pilot the index with organizations seeking to strengthen their internal commitments towards equitable workspaces.
WHY NOW, A YEAR OF REST?
Some may ask - why pause now? Amid the dismantling of infrastructure and financial support in the global development sector and the resulting mass layoffs disproportionately affecting people of color, the decline in funding and resources for BIPOC-led organizations and social movements worldwide, this work has never been more critical. These are not isolated crises, they are symptoms of a deeper, systemic injustice. The momentum ignited by the uprisings of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd has met a wave of institutional retrenchment. Funding has dried up, and commitments have faded into the background.
This work is sacred. This work is necessary, and it has been an immense undertaking as a volunteer-led collective, sustained by the unpaid labour, emotional toil, and deep dedication of our collective members, whose sweat equity far exceeds the external contributions to REI. This work deserves more than the relentless pressure to produce more with limited resources, all while enduring daily racial trauma and exhaustion. We envision the transformative power of rest and restoration, allowing us to return to this work with renewed energy, reignited imagination, clarity, strength and a deep commitment to community care.
IN CLOSING (FOR NOW …)
The REI Collective came together with the belief that individuals and institutions are shaped by the broader society and environment in which they exist, and that we all hold power and responsibility to reshape that environment. With this understanding comes both the agency and responsibility to embody the change we aspire to see in the world. Rest is paramount to ensuring long-term and sustainable change.
We look forward to the space to rest, imagine, and dream of the possibilities of a world free from the harms and legacies of colonialism, of racism and white supremacy.
Rest is not the end of our work. It is the foundation that makes the work possible.
To the community of supporters who have followed us along the way: thank you.
To those who have stepped into partnership with us: we are grateful for the meaningful support and solidarity you have provided REI so far.
To our BIPOC community members throughout the sector: we see you, we hold you, we remain in solidarity with you, and we will not abandon the fight for racial equity within the sector.
