The work of building meaningful relationships, and creating spaces that foster belonging and inclusion is never over. In fact, it must be prioritized in EVERY aspect of organizational operations to create a thriving and equitable society for all. However, over the past 2 years, we have seen a noticeable decline in the urgency for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has led to ongoing disruptions in normal work processes and priorities, economic challenges, and other valid logistical challenges. Organizations who have been able to keep their doors open have been considered among the lucky ones.
Through this climate of instability, organizations may be tempted to put DEI work on the back burner, especially as the years pass following the murder of George Floyd, and outrage slowly settles back into a predictable level of comfort This is simply the way that the patterns of the status quo with its grips in White Supremacy continue to perpetuate itself. However, we remain clear that this work is more important than ever, and now is always the time to act. In fact, urgency for this work must continue to be elevated because the pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated existing inequities and disparities, particularly for marginalized communities. Organizations need to change more urgently than ever before.
While these challenges are very real and we do not negate their impact, we also want to celebrate those who are forging ahead with us and doing the necessary work to achieve the beautiful revolutionary future we all long for. In that spirit, we are proud to introduce the five new organizations that have pledged their commitment to putting equity and inclusion into action.
They represent a diverse set of industry sectors including museums, libraries, cultural centers, education policy, and two new sectors in our membership — agricultural education and arts and cultural research. This cohort also continues to be international with one of our member organizations joining us from Greece!
In our application process, we ask each organization to share their reasons for wanting to join the Change Network and their responses always inspire us, along with showcasing the powerful work that they have already engaged in. Collectively, the cohort aims to:
advance the culture of DEAI at their organizations
better understand and serve their communities
reflect or act on their current infrastructures or strategies
embrace new tools and structures of learning
create meaningful connections across the global Change Network community.
The Biodynamic Demeter Alliance for example expressed a heartfelt desire to make food of, by, and for all. Its Executive Director, Sheila Foster stated:
“the agricultural system in the United States has a terrible track record of racism and worker abuse, lack of access to land and a multitude of ways in which Black, Indigenous, and People of Color have been harmed historically and continue to be so today. Our mission is to foster a thriving, equitable agricultural system, but in order to do that, we need to build our allyship and understanding with other groups. Food is, or should be, of, by, and for all. It’s not right now. We’d like to change that, but we need to create change in collaboration with many others, and to do that, we need help and guidance.”
We are excited to see how this team will explore its role in creating positive sustainable change within its sector.
Upon applying to join OF/BY/FOR ALL Change Network Dina Ntziora, the Community Engagement Manager at We Are Community, passionately communicated:
“Our work aims to hold space to share impactful stories, and lived experiences and at the same time encourage people to learn how to listen to someone else’s story and realize that humanity is composed of many overlapping stories.”
The library recognizes the power of ongoing development and continued learning to challenge the ways they work closely with their communities, even if that means unlearning certain methods and making space for new ones.
Additionally, Youth Speaks, a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs, joins the ranks of our March cohort. In her application, Michelle Lee, Executive Director and CEO wrote:
“We envision a safe, brave, place-keeping and cultural anchor for youth storytelling in the Mission, providing a welcoming, inclusive third space to build community for residents, youth and their families, with a focus on engaging youth who have been historically marginalized, isolated and affected by displacement. We are creating a community gathering and cultural space that facilitates connection, intersection and a sense of belonging, in a city where these spaces are slowly disappearing.”
After the organization’s senior leadership completed a 12-month restorative justice audit in implementing new policies for DEI, nondiscrimination, accessibility, mental health wellness and more, the team welcomes the guidance of the OF/BY/FOR ALL Change Network as they move through internal shifts and new developments for a more just and joyful transition.
As mentioned before, many organizations are experiencing significant shifts within the areas of operations, staff, infrastructure and more. This cohort is no different. Three organizations are moving through pivotal moments in their history, two are in the middle of leadership transitions, one takes a new shape after having two companies recently merged together, and another may be facing a location change. All of these obstacles could have kept them from prioritizing this work and radically taking steps towards positive change. However they recognized that what you pay attention to grows1.
Here’s to the beginning of their journeys toward growing a new vision for a future where authentic relationships between institutions and communities build sustainable foundations for equity, inclusion and liberation. We are excited to share what we learn together and we hope you follow along!
Are you feeling motivated to drive inclusive change at your organization? If the answer is yes, but you are unsure what comes next, schedule some time to chat with an OF/BY/FOR ALL team member to see if the Change Network makes sense for your organization.
You can follow along their journeys to inclusive change through the official OF/BY/FOR ALL channels.
The Biodynamic Demeter Alliance, East Troy, WI, USA
SMU Data Arts, Dallas, TX, USA
Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO, USA
We Are Community, Athens, Attika, Greece
Youth Speaks, Oakland, CA, USA
References:
adrienne maree brown, Emergent Strategy