Starting an optional book club for colleagues to discuss Robin DiAngelo or Ibram X. Kendi’s work. Adding Juneteenth, Ramadan or Lunar New Year to your organization’s internal calendar. Creating a DEI discussion channel on Slack. When approached thoughtfully, these...
As we prepare for a pivotal moment in our political history, social sector leaders are grappling with the uncertainty of this election as they plan for an imminent new reality this week (and beyond) and the looming impact that will have on their teams.What do I say?...
Clearly, painting “Black Lives Matter” in the street doesn’t undo a legacy of racist policies. Most of us have a sense that releasing public statements supporting the Black Lives Matter movement won’t automatically eliminate the need to interrogate exclusionary...
We held a teamwide discussion recently on the concept of resilience, and asked Promise54 team members to share their reflections on how and where they learned about resilience and how they’re considering it today. When we entered into the conversation we were...
In this moment many organizations are scrambling to articulate commitments to DEI, anti-racism, and racial justice and to do the hard work of living and leading in alignment with those commitments. As leaders work to figure out how to do all of that, there is often a...
This list was initially written by one of our teammates, Vanessa Douyon, as a resource for her friends and family. We are re-publishing here to share with our networks as well. It is intended to serve as a starting point for leaders contemplating where to go from here...
Two notes for readers: At Promise54 we’re navigating a tension. First, we feel a critical need and desire to amplify Black voices (always, and in particular right now). And, our people are tired so we’re all pitching in to disperse the burden where possible. One of...
As a first-gen Mexican-American, high-school and college graduate, former teacher, and PhD who now researches K-12 policy and inequities, I can say with confidence that the U.S. public education system was not built for me or other Folks of Color. Instead, we have a...
The last few months have left me reeling - and fielding questions from clients who are reeling too - about how to approach diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work in this maelstrom. Is now really the right time to be “doing DEI?” If so, why is it essential to...
Transforming core services to virtual overnight...bring your child to work EVERY day...sleepless worry for ourselves and our at-risk loved ones...even deeper divides along socio-economic and generational lines...amplified racism and xenophobia....How are we supposed...