The Effectiveness of Christian Racial Diversity Consultants for Racial Justice

“When it comes to racial justice, do best practices or best guesses inform the approach of Christian Racial Diversity Consultants? ”

Team Members/Contributors

Oneya Okuwobi University of Cincinnati Contact Me

About this grant for researchers

Fewer than half of practicing Christians are motivated to take action on racial injustice. Given the involvement of so few Christians, there is no margin for wasted effort. How are their efforts being directed and are those priorities the right ones for advancing racial justice? Drawing on content analysis of Christian Racial Diversity Consultant (CRDC) websites, semi-structured interviews with 50 leaders in this field, and participant observations of CRDC trainings, I ask whether the aims, trainings, and content that CRDCs provide are consistent with what has been proven effective at promoting racial justice. Effectiveness requires that CRDC offerings include (1) Understanding of racial realities (2) Appropriate racial identification (3) Concrete action toward racial justice and (4) Biblical connection. If these four aspects are missing or incomplete, CRDCs efforts toward racial justice may simply be well-intended efforts that do little to level existing racial hierarchies. By focusing on the perspectives and actions of these experts, this project will provide fresh insight into the church’s predominant approaches to racial dynamics and connect CRDCs to what works for racial justice.