Equity is a Practice, not a one-time event

A few months ago, the Nonprofit Center shared the beginning of our journey to developing an anti-racist practice with our community and stakeholders and we made a commitment to keeping you updated with what we are doing. This is one of those updates. 

A few weeks ago our staff spent the day with Emily Holthaus, the lead facilitator for our upcoming virtual Racial Equity Summit. With Emily, the Nonprofit Center team explored what anti-racist leadership looks like for us as individuals, as well as what that leadership looks like for our organization. Each of us committed to specific actions, and the Nonprofit Center is doing the same.  Achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion is not a one-time event that we can place a checkmark on a to-do list and declare accomplished. It is an ongoing practice and like all things of value, takes time and investment.

About 100 of you have signed up to join us this Thursday at the Nonprofit Center’s Racial Equity Summit. Like our team, participants will engage in a process of learning and listening, and each will be given tools and asked to make commitments to strengthen their anti-racist leadership; and to identify emergent priorities for our sector as a whole.  

How does this work continue beyond the day of the summit? 

There are instances of racial injustice occurring every day across our country and across every single mission focus imaginable for a nonprofit organization. Whether your organization focuses on animals, the environment, health, economic security, the arts, education, or any other cause, there is work to be done in our fields to advance racial justice and dismantle oppressive systems. There is work to be done in our organizations to diversify our stakeholders and leadership, to advance equity for our staff, and to educate and engage our communities about our causes. 

This won’t be easy, but it is necessary. Join us as we put into practice changes that lead to a stronger Northeast Florida for all.