The burden of racism. The sting of discrimination. These are scourges deeply felt, too often experienced. And these twin evils take different forms – the personal attack, the group disparagement, the seemingly impenetrable barriers created by structural racial inequities.  In a national climate where every day seems to add a new chapter to an unfolding tale of sorrow and anxiety, we must ask ourselves – no, demand of ourselves – what can we do to help ameliorate this situation?  We all have a role to play.

I would like to share with you the role Equal Measure will play.

As an evaluation and philanthropic services firm that has worked for more than 30 years in a mosaic of communities, we have witnessed how structural inequities are imbued in policies, practices, and systems. We have seen firsthand how these inequities – whether disparities in educational and workforce opportunities, healthcare access and quality, or within the criminal justice system – have become more acutely felt by people of color, particularly those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. These experiences have forged our deeply ingrained organizational commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and the role of DEI in helping to change systems to provide more equitable opportunities for all.

Drawing upon our longstanding focus on DEI, we have perhaps a small but nonetheless important role to play in advancing equity. Within our spheres of influence – our clients and their grantees, our networks and peers in the field, our professional colleagues – we will continue to:

• Raise questions to shed light on, and help advance, policies and practices that begin to break down structural racism and slowly reverse its legacy of prejudice. We will ask questions, but will not accept “pat” responses. Our aim is to uncover the “why,” “how,” “for whom,” and “by whom,” so that we can pinpoint where inequities exist, and understand how to address them.   If we do not continue to ask difficult questions about equitable access and inclusion, representation and diversity, and power dynamics, then we have failed to deliver on a foundational organizational value.
• Integrate the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of the individuals and communities that have been deliberately silenced. We will bring “to the table” the voices of the unheard, whose lives bear testament to the challenges posed by structural inequities.  And we will facilitate authentic dialogues about race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, and other dimensions of our diversity that have driven structural discriminatory practices.
• Seek out funders and clients who are deeply invested in finding solutions to eradicate inequities. We will work with organizations that have demonstrated a tangible commitment, over the course of many years, to design and implement program strategies that tackle racial and structural inequities in communities across the nation.
• Infuse capacity building into every one of our engagements to help strengthen community competencies. We will work closely with our clients to ensure that community leaders and organizations have the skills to create – or advocate for – changes in policy and practice that can help eradicate systemic structural inequities.
• Emphasize an asset-based narrative that acknowledges the realities of our time and society. We will continue to push the field toward dialogues about opportunity and healing, with a focus on the transformative changes communities can make in improving pathways to education, careers, access to health care, safe neighborhoods, and financial empowerment.
• Strive to check our own biases, misconceptions, and gaps in knowledge, in order to contribute to a productive and open dialogue. We will continue to sharpen our organizational focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion – identifying opportunities to further infuse culturally competent practices into our evaluation and philanthropic services engagements.

I think we have a critical and urgent opportunity to place race, equity, and inclusion front and center in our national dialogue, and in the work of the social sector. But in carrying forth this mission, we can guide, but we cannot push.  We can raise questions, probe, and prompt, but we cannot provide the answers. We can bring individuals together – to learn, share ideas, find common ground – but we cannot tell them what to say. And we can help them better understand the context of racial and structural inequities in their communities, but we cannot pretend to walk in the lived experiences of those individuals caught in the chasm of disparity.

That is the small, but important role Equal Measure will play.