Transforming structural racism requires transforming the balance of power and relationships among people - as an ongoing process and commitment. In other words, to challenge inequitable structures and systems of power, racial justice efforts continually expand and grow the collective leadership and community power of people with life experience of structural racism. As described by the University of Southern California’s Equity Research Institute (2020), “Community power is the ability of communities most impacted by structural inequity to develop, sustain and grow an organized base of people who act together through democratic structures to set agendas, shift public discourse, influence who makes decisions, and cultivate ongoing relationships of mutual accountability with decision makers that change systems and advance health equity.”
Recognizing that people with life experience of structural racism can act as agents of structural racism, the emphasis here is on people with life experience who are committed to the principles and practices of racial justice. Further, this principle is not about building up concentrated power among singular leaders or small groups of people, but rather rebalancing the distribution of leadership and growing and maintaining power across communities and society as a whole.