You don't blame the fish. You clean the water.
The Racial Equity Institute helps institutions see structural racism for what it is — and build the power to change it.
Imagine a world where opportunity isn't limited by race, gender, income, or identity — a world where you belong at work because of who you are, not despite it.
We believe in merit, but for it to be real, we must remove the structural barriers that keep talent from rising. True equity means changing systems, not just helping people survive them.
Equity is about more than access; it's about power. Who holds it, who shares it, and how it's used. When power is distributed, not hoarded, everyone has a real chance to lead, shape outcomes, and thrive.
We're not building utopia. But we can build workplaces and communities where:
Trust is real
Relationships rooted in trust, not performance — the foundation of any equitable institution.
Difference fuels innovation
Diverse teams solve harder problems. Equity is not charity — it is how organizations get better.
Success is earned, not inherited
We dismantle the systems that pre-decide who rises and who is held back.
Power is shared, not gatekept
When power is distributed instead of hoarded, everyone has a real chance to lead and thrive.
Let's create spaces where belonging is practiced, equity is expected, power is inclusive, and merit finally has a fair chance. That's the vision. That's the work. Let's build it — together.
Structural racism is a problem we built. Together, we can take it apart.
Established in 2012 by Deena Hayes-Greene & Suzanne Plihcik, REI is a multiracial team of organizers and trainers. Our approach has a movement orientation — always focused on institutional change with equitable, just outcomes for everyone.
Training, consulting & coaching
Built on the Fish-Lake-Groundwater framework — from a three-hour introduction to multi-year institutional partnership.
Understanding Racial Inequity: A Groundwater Approach
An interactive presentation on the nature and impact of structural racism across institutions.
Learn more →REI Pre-Brief
A 60-minute session that prepares participants for the depth and pace of Phase 1.
Learn more →REI Debrief
Review and connect the concepts of a workshop to your organization’s work.
Learn more →How we create lasting change
Racial inequity looks the same across every system — so the cause must be systemic.
The Fish
When one fish is sick, we treat the fish. Individual-level analysis: bias, intent, the “bad actor.”
The Lake
When half the fish in a lake are sick, the problem isn’t the fish — it’s the water. Look at the whole system.
The Groundwater
When fish in every lake are sick, the contaminant is in the groundwater feeding them all. Racism is structural.
The Intervention
You don’t blame the fish — you clean the water. We help institutions address the systemic source.
"We can have conversations that don’t get emotional and think with the front of our brain and not the back."
What partners say
"We sought REI’s training because we feel our team needs to be leaders in their understanding of issues of race and ethnicity in the U.S. … the Groundwater training was one of the most fact-based and therefore compelling overviews of data that would impact our understanding. The Groundwater training will have very long-term influence on our thinking."
"It was deeply moving. To the point where I’m a 51-year-old Black woman and I had a conversation with two 50+ white men afterward that were meaningful. We can have conversations that don’t get emotional and think with the front of our brain and not the back."
Ready to build equity that lasts?
Bring REI to your organization, join a public training, or support the work with a gift.