DCBF provides support to DC-based civil legal aid organizations through trainings and technical assistance. DCBF not only sponsors multiple trainings for DC’s legal aid organizations every year, but also pays the tuition fee for their staff attorneys to attend select legal skills trainings offered by other organizations in DC. In regards to technical assistance, DCBF provides one-time funding for peer evaluations and consultants when needed by grantees.

​

Trainings Offered in 2024:

The Racial Equity 1.0 Series, presented with Service Never Sleeps

This series provides a deep understanding of Allyship principles and locates anti-Blackness and white supremacy in both current and historical contexts, culminating with the Building Equity sessions which provide an opportunity for organizations to brainstorm how to apply their learnings to their work.

Until further notice of more availability, participation in this year's Racial Equity 1.0 series is limited to two (2) staff members of FY23 DCBF grantee organizations, with priority to new grantees and those who did not participate in our FY22 racial equity training sessions.

** All registered participants must commit to attending each workshop. **

The workshop schedule is as follows:
 

• Signature Allyship (two sessions): March 26 & 27, 2024 | 9:30 am to 1:00 pm ET

The ​Allyship workshop is led from a racial equity lens, as the initial component of race-equity partnerships. We begin with this training as an empowering way to promote racial equity and justice as a lifestyle. The workshop helps participants identify their areas of privilege, and apply tools to be effective allies through manners of centering individuals experiencing marginalization, self/mirror work, and influencing others. It sets a critical foundation for the organization’s approach moving forward. This training is executed in two, 3.5-hour sessions (7 hours).

• White Supremacy 101: April 23, 2024 | 9:30 am to 1:00 pm ET

​Leveraging the Allyship workshop as a foundation, this training outlines white supremacy as an institution, its persistence in the present day, and its common forms. The interactive session will guide participants to understand white supremacy as a construct of dominance and culture, and it will also facilitate active unpacking and identifying of white supremacy culture in participants’ own lives and work. Additionally, this training will guide participants to understand racism as the structural upholding of white supremacy through systemic means. This is executed in one 3.5-hour session.​

• Bias & Microaggressions: April 24, 2024 | 9:30 am to 1:00 pm ET

​This training focuses on the Individual and Interpersonal aspects of racism. The training helps participants understand how our mental processes condition unconscious stereotypes that affect conclusions we draw and actions we take. Participants will learn about microaggressions as common and painful ways that implicit bias, systems, and stereotypes manifest through society’s culture, particularly through individual comments and actions. The training includes common examples and drivers of microaggressions, with steps for catching bias and limiting such harmful language and behavior. This is executed in one 3.5-hour session.

• Building Equity (two sessions): May 21 & 22, 2024 | 9:30 am to 1:00 ET

​Leveraging the prior three trainings as fundamental bases, this final training helps participants understand the meaning of racial equity, and provides tools for envisioning and constructing equity in the workspace and other environments. It centers the Institutional aspect of structural racism, and helps participants examine their workspaces’ current infrastructure relative to racial equity. The interactive day long training provides frameworks and active working sessions to develop and commit to paths forward for individual and organizational journeys. Participants will leave with collective group outputs, along with individualized action steps for their respective proceeding phases of racial equity capacity-building. This is executed in two, 3.5-hour sessions (7 hours).

​​

Registration will be available in February. For questions, email grants@dcbarfoundation.org.​

​