In 2020 ninety-nine girlfriends and other collective giving circles participated in a program to explore how our organizations can embed racial equity in our activities, as an extension of our active commitment to diversity within our network. The program invited us to examine ways that our giving circles shape (1) values and shared beliefs, (2) leadership and governance, (3) internal and external language and visuals, (4) membership, (5) meeting style and structure, and (6) partnership processes with grantees and to make changes to become more inclusive. This experience, combined with last year's wave of civil unrest protesting systemic racism, propelled us to make racial equity a priority for our learning activities this year.
Member education programs in 2021 will emphasize how issues of race and equity intersect with other social issues. We've hired a Racial Equity consultant to guide our efforts to become more inclusive and to ensure that our work furthers our commitment. Her work will focus on these questions:
How has structural racism evolved in our country?
How can ninety-nine girlfriends become more inclusive and welcoming to diverse participants and grantee partners?
How can we sustain a more equitable organization going forward?
Our goal in focusing on "embedding racial equity in all that we do" is to provide pathways for each of us to reflect on issues of race in our personal lives as well as in the ways we work together. Programs this year will include a presentation by Stephanie Montgomery on "Deconstructing Racism", follow-up conversations based on the presentation, Conversation Circles that apply a racial equity lens to learn about specific community issues, a Discovery Forum with stories of how other grant makers are working on racial equity, and more."