In the culture of white supremacy that continues across to this day, it remains difficult for Black community members to find spaces that exist free from discrimination and racial injustices. Because of this, it is a responsibility for all organizations, no matter their size, racial diversity, or type of industry, to work towards building spaces that center racial equity and justice at the forefront.
This is where the importance of brave spaces comes into play.
What Does A Brave Space Building™ Look Like At CommunityBuild Ventures?
Aligning an organization with racial equity begins with creating safe spaces for Black community members to thrive in. Community Build Ventures defines brave spaces as structured spaces that allow members to authentically show up to share their experiences, feelings, and struggles with one another in the hopes of centering racial equity within communities.
CommunityBuild Venture’s Protocol For Brave Space Building™
After understanding what a brave space is, organizations might be wondering: how do we start building these spaces for ourselves?
To cultivate brave spaces, it is important to make room for these 6 important ideals:
#1: Gratitude
Having gratitude and being thankful for one another is at the forefront of creating a brave space for provoking change. Cultivating gratitude is essential for building empathy and curiosity for community member’s stories and thoughts.
#2: Feelings
In order to center racial equity, it is important for all participants to recognize and value their emotional states throughout the process. It is with more awareness of one’s feelings and emotions that they are better able to cope, understand why these emotions are showing up, and work towards a place of greater inner peace and harmony.
#3: Intentions
When individuals create intentions for their life, they are better able to live authentically and understand their values and beliefs. This is important in building brave spaces, for it allows each individual to feel purposeful in their work towards racial equity.
#4: Assumptions
Assumptions are the truths and ideas that each participant brings to the racial equity conversation. Acknowledging assumptions that the group holds is important for brave spaces, as it helps both individuals and the group see their potential for growth and positive change.
#5: Community Agreements
Racial equity work takes the participation of the entire team, not just a select few. Community agreements help individuals work together to define the agreements that they need to show up most authentically and openly to best transform their community together.
#6: Shared Language
Defining a shared language for a group is the basis of cultivating understanding and effectively speaking with one another. Using shared words and definitions throughout conversations and written text helps everyone in the group work towards the same goals and ideals.
Build A Brave Space With CommunityBuild Ventures Today
CommunityBuild Ventures helps organizations reimagine their culture and collective vision to ensure that all community members thrive, no matter their race or background. To learn more about how we help organizations facilitate brave spaces for transformation, get in touch with our team today.
