Organizations

The National Coalition Building Institute is an international, non-profit leadership training organization based in Washington, D.C. Since 1984, NCBI has worked to eliminate racism and all other forms of prejudice and discrimination throughout the world. NCBI takes a proactive approach beginning with one or more people from a variety of organizational or community settings, including schools, colleges and universities, corporations, foundations, correctional facilities, law enforcement agencies, government offices and labor unions. These individuals are taught effective leadership skills in the areas of prejudice reduction, violence prevention, conflict resolution, and coalition building. When a handful of like-minded leaders from an organization or community have been trained, a local NCBI resource team is formed. These teams offer prevention-oriented strategies and programs to deal with discrimination and other inter-group tensions. They are also available to intervene when specific inter-group conflicts arise.

They operate under three core principles:

• Every Issue Counts;
• Personal Stories Change Attitudes; and
• Eliminating Mistreatment Means Ending “Leadership Oppression.” 

There are several operational assumptions underlying their programs:

• Training teams of peer leaders is the most effective way to empower people to take leadership in reducing racism and other forms of discrimination.
• Programs to welcome diversity require an ongoing institutional effort.
• The establishment of proactive training programs that build strong inter-group relations are more effective than programs that respond to specific incidents of racism or crises.
• Programs that welcome diversity need to include all of the visible and invisible differences found in a workplace or community.
• Diversity training programs that are based on guilt, moralizing or condemnation often rigidify prejudicial attitudes.
• Anti-racism programs are most effectively conducted with a hopeful, upbeat tone.