Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
Introduction
Our mission—our work—at LSSI responds to the Gospel to bring healing, justice, and wholeness. Wholeness requires that each of us hears and understands the pain of disparity, inequity, and racism. We believe that LSSI, as an organization, and each of its employees, individually, must commit to an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion journey.
At LSSI, we recognize the centuries of inequities, injustice, violence, and systemic racism has been experienced by employees and clients of color. Race and color remain the top characteristics for discrimination. Through addressing the deep-seeded biases that impact people of color, we will create a more equitable and welcoming employee experience for employees of varying races, genders, sexualities, disabilities, and religions, etc.
The same barriers marginalized people have faced in the past continue to exist today. We acknowledge LSSI is not isolated from those systems created to be barriers for various groups but an active component in it. Thus, we commit to becoming an active voice in our social sector, learning from our peer organizations who are already making strides, and modeling through action to create the changes we seek for our clients and staff.
Read LSSI’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Inaugural Report.
Purpose
Ensure the representation of diverse groups and active dismantling of barriers that keep under-represented groups from opportunities for professional advancement, recognition, and full participation. LSSI will build a culture of Equity.
Acknowledge, seek, and welcome differences, including but not limited to race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, class, geographic location, mental or physical ability, language, and learning style. Commit to open-mindedness, to be curious and to learn, share, and celebrate different cultures, beliefs, and experiences. LSSI will build a culture of Diversity.
Actively identify and remove barriers in an ongoing effort to ensure that diverse individuals fully participate in organizational work and community-building. Engage all voices to encourage diverse thinking. Insist that diverse employees and clients are seen as mutually respected members of LSSI’s community who are encouraged to represent themselves in authentic ways. LSSI will build a culture of Inclusion.
Equity is both representation of diverse groups and active dismantling of barriers that keep under-represented groups from opportunities for professional advancement, recognition, and full participation.
Improving equity requires:
- Ensuring and promoting justice and fairness within existing systems
- Acknowledgement and understanding of the root causes of disparities
- Working intentionally to address root causes of disparities
Diversity acknowledges, seeks, and welcomes differences, including but not limited to race, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, class, geographic location, mental or physical ability, language, and learning style.
Diversity is a commitment to open-mindedness, with the responsibility to be curious and to learn, share, and celebrate different cultures, beliefs, and experiences.
Inclusion is the intentional removal of barriers in an ongoing effort to ensure that diverse individuals fully participate in organizational work and community-building. An inclusive workplace engages all voices to encourage diverse thinking. Inclusion requires that diverse employees and clients are seen as mutually respected members of LSSI’s community.
Inclusive environments create space for diverse employees and clients to represent themselves in authentic ways.
Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Steering Committee
In November 2020, a cohort of 15 LSSI staff from across various departments began meeting during the COVID-19 pandemic to create an equity, diversity, and inclusion plan for clients, employees, and board members. With the guidance of Social Current consultants, the committee identified four strategic priorities.
- Establish accountability and oversight for EDI within LSSI
- Engagement of all LSSI Employees and assessment of current EDI culture
- Embed EDI in recruitment, onboarding, advancement, and retention of LSSI employees
- Assess LSSI’s whole-person work and establish priorities for addressing structural inequities in communities being served
The work of the committee produced the first steps of LSSI’s equity, diversity, and inclusion journey, and the organization hired its inaugural Executive Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The journey now exists as four pillars for the organization to transition through.
EDI Steering Committee Members
- Kelly Sappington, Director of EDI
- Laterria Bass, SDS
- Cheyenne Boyer, CCS
- Donald Hardaway, BHS
- Damaris Jimenez, IS
- Dan Maxon, IS
- Shezelle McCaskill, SDS
- Jason McClarin, QCD
- Jere Murray, CCS
- David Novak, Advancement
- Pat Pearse, HR
- Ashley Siepl, Advancement
- Timothy Smith, IS
- Lakedra Vaughn, BHS
- Terri Wilkerson, Org Dev/EDI
- Joseph Winford, CCS
Resources
The EDI journey is continuous and personal. Below are some resources you can utilize to further your personal learning.
Documentaries
Race—The Power of an Illusion
https://www.racepowerofanillusion.org
Books
- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
- The Color Bind by Erica Gabrielle Foldy
- White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
- Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva
- Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive by Kristen J. Sollee
- The Memo by Minda Harts
- Black LGBT Health in the United States: The Intersection of Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Edited by Lourdes Dolores Follins and Johnathan Mathias Lassiter
- The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability
- What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party by Michael Kazin
Web
- Definition of White Supremacy
The term “white supremacy” can be jarring without the proper context. This website defines and provides details on what a “white supremacy” culture inside of the workplace can look like. - The Creation of Race and Racism
An excerpt from Ta-Nehisi Coates that examines the colonial United States forming of race and racism. - History of Policing
Have you ever wondered about America’s first police force? This article outlines the conception of the American system of policing. - White Supremacy Culture: Daily Check In
Building upon the work of Tema Okun’s White Supremacy Culture, this is a checklist to conduct a personal inventory. - Language of Appeasement
This is about higher education but still relevant–that we have substituted diversity and inclusion for equity and justice. - Accountability Principles
Great information about assessments and creating a racial equity implementation plan. - Organizational Race Equity Tool Kit from Washing Race Equity and Justice Initiative
- Modifying Silk Ring Theory for Allyship
- Demos’ Racial Equity Transformation: Key Components, Process, and Lessons
- NPR Podcast It’s Been a Minute interview with Claidia Rankine on The Uneasy Conversations Between “Just Us”
- Great piece about operationalizing racial equity/racial justice at orgs (Many resources listed at the end. Review for client engagements!)
- Basic list of useful resources, definitions of terms, etc.
- Operationalizing Racial Justice in Non-Profit Organizations