Two Day Racial Equity Institute (REI) Phase 1 Training

The Keep it Moving Coalition is offering this Racial Equity Institute Phase 1 Workshop in person happening over the course of two days in the Asheville NC area - participants are asked to attend the entire training on Friday Friday May 8th and Saturday May 9th 2026 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET both days. Particpants are asked to provide their own lunch. Some light snacks and coffee/tea will be provided.
In order to cover the cost of the training, we ask for $300+ per person and we strongly encourage employers to invest professional development dollars to sponsor employees. We ask that people attending from well-resourced organizations or families pay from the tiered selections outlined to support, in particular, people of color who are not with an organization that can pay for their participation. This would support Equity Seats. We also recognize that $300 can be cost prohibitive for white people and so we encourge those with resources to choose the top tier if possible in order to support everyone having access to this valuable training.

This is an investment on behalf of an organization that recognizes that ongoing equity work is enhanced by employees being rooted in a racial equity analysis. From individuals, it allows for accumulated wealth to be invested in addressing the inequities often exacerbated by economic wealth gaps.The workshop is most effective when we have a participant group that represents a diverse cross-section of community members from a variety of organizations, industries and roles. Because of that, we ask some demographic questions in this registration form.

REI Frequetly Asked Questions

What is REI?

REI is the Racial Equity Institute, an alliance of trainers, organizers and institutional leaders committed to creating more equitable organizations and systems. They offer several workshops for organizations and, for KIM-C and the WNC REC, for our community.

What is the WNC REC and KIMC?

WNC REC is the Western North Carolina Racial Equity Collective and KIMC is the Keep It Movin’ Coalition. Both are made up of local volunteers who organize workshops and follow up caucusing spaces. In the past, the Collective has been tasked with organizing workshops and KIM-C has organized the caucuses. Right now, the groups are effectively one.

Are scholarships available? What if I can’t afford the cost?

We work hard to make the workshops affordable while raising enough money to pay the costs of bringing the workshops to our community. It’s why we offer pricing levels. If you can’t afford the cost, we have limited opportunities for a scholarship. Please reach out to us.

Is Language Interpretation Available?

Yes we may be able to include Spanish language interpretation. Please contact an organizer if you (or someone you are registering for) are Spanish speaking and need language interpretation.

What are equity seats?

The unfortunate reality is that people of color often come to these workshops and discussions with the added and unfair burden of having their lived experiences and traumas serving as education for white people. Because of that, we don’t require that they also use their personal funds to pay for that experience. So we offer equity seats for people of color who aren’t with organizations that can or are willing to pay for them to participate.

What if I’ve already attended the REI Phase 1 workshop?

Alumni of the WNC REC/KIM-C REI Phase 1 workshops are welcome to observe the workshop with a voluntary contribution. This could be a financial contribution or a contribution in the form of snacks for the participants and/or support cleaning up the event space at the end. Please reach out to any of the members of the organizing team to notify us of your plans to be present and we will provide a separate sign up form for alumni.

Do I have to be present for the entire workshop?

Yes, it is important that first-time participants be present for the entire two days of the workshop. This serves you as the individual as well as the experience of your fellow participants.

How do we contact a member of the organizing team?

Danae Aicher, [email protected]

Claudia Jimenez, [email protected]

Alicia Cole, [email protected]

Marta Alcala, [email protected]

Rachel Reeser, [email protected]

Caryn Hanna, [email protected]

Robin Funsten, [email protected]

Cathy Cleary, [email protected]

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Asheville Keep It Moving Coalition