Over the past few weeks, we have been reflecting not just on this moment, but our history as an organization and country. We have been able to talk with Humanim team members who are comprised of people of color, people who serve communities of color, and some people who are not directly connected to communities of color. Amongst all of these groups we have witnessed palpable grief, anger, and desire for change. We are listening to our staff and the communities they represent about what we as an organization can do to better understand, take action and “walk the walk” of true change makers.
As a human services and workforce development organization, racial and social equity are intrinsic to our mission and those we serve. We remain deeply committed to our work in inclusion and equity – as well as to our staff and communities in doing our part to advocate for social equity and dismantle structural racism. We realize this requires ongoing work, ongoing dialogue with our staff, and that words are not enough. We are and will continue to reexamine our policies, our relationships, and our work through a lens of equity and inclusion. We will continue to listen to and support our staff, while providing better platforms for dialogue. And we will continue to partner with our communities and neighborhoods to identify ways that we can be an ally as individuals, and as a collective.
The voices from our staff created poignant clarity as to our path forward as an organization and our continued commitment to equity…..to this we remain accountable:
Listen.
Understand.
Reflect.
Act.
We will be part of the change that must happen.