Racial Equity at The Center

Queer and trans people of color carry the heavy burden of systemic racism and economic injustice. Higher unemployment, poverty, and homelessness rates are the result of years of systemic barriers. Removing these barriers takes a persistent commitment and work to ensure we are all free to live healthy and successful lives.

The Center's Founding

Since our founding in 1983, The Center has served as a sanctuary for those seeking freedom from persecution and prejudice.

To achieve racial equity in our mission through our programming and services, The Center continues to acknowledge and respond to the long-term, pervasive effects of all forms of racism affecting our community members, partners, and staff.

The Center is committed to centering racial equity in all aspects of our work.

The Center's History

Organizational Transformation Work

In 2019, we formed a Racial Equity Steering Committee (RESC) of staff across The Center to partner with consultants at Change Elemental via a multi-year engagement to help The Center build organization-wide capacity around racial equity. In 2020-2021, we conducted an organizational assessment (including internal and external interviews and focus groups, internal surveys, and data and document analysis) to identify areas where The Center can improve, and helped to develop a multi-year action plan to advance the necessary changes. Since 2022, we have been implementing this plan, working to build a culture of race equity and to proactively counteract racial inequities inside and outside of the organization. We have adapted Equity in The Center’s Awake to Woke to Work model to frame the various levels at which our interventions need to occur.

levers of change

Equity in Action

Some of the steps we’ve taken are described below.

Data Collection & The Communities We Serve

  • From 2018 to 2024, we increased our representation of BIPOC staff from 37% to 65%, more closely reflecting the community we serve (which is 68% BIPOC). This was also true for our senior leadership team, which increased from 40% to 67% BIPOC.
  • We developed new and innovative programs, designed by and for Black community members, such as the Juneteenth Block Party, Black Holiday Market, and Activist-in-Residence Fellowship. We also reinvigorated partnerships with the Ballroom community, including establishing the annual World of Red Ball in honor of World AIDS Day, and increased immigration services and programming in Spanish.
  • The former “Code of Conduct” was reframed as Community Agreements, and revised to use more participatory and restorative language.
  • We began collecting and disaggregating demographic data about our staff, board, and clients to help us to reflect on whether our staff, leadership, and board reflect the community we serve. We have published this data on our internal staff portal and added our public website.

Our Board of Directors

  • Since 2020, our Board Racial Equity Committee has steered the Board around how it engages in racial and gender equity work, and have implemented annual educational opportunities around race and gender equity.
  • Our Board makeup is 44% BIPOC. In 2025, our Board elected new leadership including Allyn Smith, our second Black Board President, and the Board Nominating Committee is undergoing member recruitment, aiming to ensure our Board is representative of the communities we serve.

People, Learning Initiatives, & Organizational Culture

  • We have provided education spaces around race equity from an intersectional lens, including a foundational training series (16 hours) for all staff in 2022-2023. 
  • We improved several People/HR practices, including developing organizational core competencies, standardizing interview questions to reduce bias in hiring, instituting  360-degree performance management processes, and implementing a minimum liveable wage of $25.65/hour.
  • We facilitated training around communication styles using the DiSC assessment, as well as trainings around giving and receiving feedback. 
  • We have enhanced benefits around gender-affirming care, including adding support groups and case management services through FOLX.
  • Since 2020, we have convened Black and BIPOC caucus groups to provide support & processing spaces, and white caucus groups to build staff capacity – in recognition of the different work that folks of different identities need to do to dismantle racism. Since 2022, we have convened a TGNC affinity group to support and empower TGNC staff.
  • In 2022, we developed organizational values to be used as a compass to ensure our programs, policies, culture, and decisions align with our commitments to equity. 
  • In 2025, we launched staff wellness sessions – a mix of creative and restorative spaces to de-stress, express ourselves, and find joy in community.

Financial Resources

  • We formally allocated funding for race equity transformation work since 2019, including an annual budget line and dedicated staff roles.
  • We have implemented a bimonthly Center Insights series for staff, to provide education and transparency around topics including organizational budgeting, fundraising, and medical benefits selection.

Managers & Senior Leaders

  • We have provided skill-building trainings for managers around best practices for supervising and supporting staff, through an equity lens; as well as capacity building for Senior Leadership Team members around leading with a race and gender equity lens, facilitation of healthy conflict, chipping away at white supremacy culture, though courageous and vulnerable leadership.
  • When hiring for leadership roles, we have prioritized equity capacity & lived experience. In 2024, we welcomed Carla Smith, our first CEO of color. In advance of the search process, we conducted anti-bias training with leadership team members.

Our Work Continues

The Center commits to transforming our culture, practices, and policies, and we recognize this is necessary in order to fully live out our organizational values. We will communicate with transparency about where we are in the process, including what we’ve done so far, what we’re doing now, and what we plan to do. We approach this work with flexibility and humility, knowing that we are an organization made up of humans who are always learning and growing. When we make mistakes (because we will), we will learn from them, and commit to creating space for various forms of community critique, feedback, and dialogue around the impacts of our decisions. While this process of cultivating accountability is imperfect and at times painful, we are committed to continuing to grow. To offer feedback on The Center’s services, operations, or decisions, please reach out here:

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