Our Work:

Crossroads provides antiracism organizing, training and consultation services to institutions desiring to dismantle systemic racism. We offer a power analysis that identifies barriers to authentic multicultural diversity, and create antiracist/anti-oppressive policies and practices by developing antiracism teams trained to meet the distinct needs of their institution. Central to our work is creating structures of accountability to People and Communities of Color.

Listen to Executive Co-Director Robette Dias talk our work on “How to Talk About Race” Commonwealth Journal hosted by Janis A. Pryor, which originally aired 11/15/2009 on WUMB, a National Public Radio affiliate owned by the University of Massachusetts:


Crossroads was co-founded in 1986 by Joseph Barndt and Susan Birkelo to develop new directions in understanding and combating the root causes of institutional racism. Crossroads is an antiracist/anti-oppressive 501(c)(3) organization. Leadership includes the administrative staff team, Board of Directors, and the Core Organizer/Trainers Apprentices (COTA). Our board and staff are both majority People of Color and majority women; and include multiple other layers of diversity including sexual identity, faith/spirituality, age, income, and education.

What Others are Saying About Us:

COMMUNITY CHANGE PROCESSES AND PROGRESS IN ADDRESSING RACIAL INEQUITIES

This 2007 Aspen Institute Roundtable for Community Change report tells the stories of four communities working on racial justice. Two of the four communities profiled use the Crossroads organizing and training model. The first, Seattle Office of Civil Rights, identifies Crossroads as its partner in the work (profile begins on page 21). The second, St. Cloud, Minnesota (profile begins on page 30), identifies the Minnesota Churches Anti-Racism Initiative (MCARI) as having provided leadership. MCARI is one of Crossroads Regional Partners and they share our organizing and training model.

TRAINING FOR RACIAL EQUITY AND INCLUSION: A GUIDE TO SELECTED PROGRAMS

This guide by Ilana Shapiro, Ph.D. gives an in-depth look at 10 anti-racism training programs. Crossroads’ profile begins on page 39.

Co-Founder and Executive Director Emeritus:

REV. JOSEPH BARNDT

Joseph Barndt is an educator, trainer and organizer in the field of racial justice, particularly in the area of understanding and combating white racism. For more than 40 years, his work has focused on dismantling racism and translating the understanding of community organizing into organizing within institutions for transformation and change. Joe is the co-founder and Executive Director Emeritus of Crossroads, and he has written a number of books and articles on racism and race relations, including Understanding & Dismantling Racism: the Twenty-first Century Challenge to White America (2007). He is a retired Lutheran pastor and has served parishes and worked in community and institutional organizing in Tucson, Arizona; Oakland, California; The Bronx in New York City; and Chicago, Illinois. He currently resides in Watsonville, CA and continues writing, training and organizing to dismantle racism.