Equity, Inclusion, & Justice
Our Commitment
As an organization working in the culturally-diverse, multinational borderlands, we invite and support strong voices from diverse groups of people to join us as board members, staff members, and volunteers. We believe that we can accomplish far more together than alone. We strive for inclusion, transparency, and fairness in all that we do. We support and appreciate the work of our allies throughout the borderlands.
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deepening our understanding of the impacts of systemic racial, social, and economic inequality within our organization and in the communities where we work
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owning the role that BRN, as a predominantly white-led organization, has played in perpetuating inequality and systemic racism
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honoring the knowledge, experiences, traditions, skills, and creativity that the diverse people of the borderlands bring to our common endeavors
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aligning our policies, our communications, and our actions to address inequality, exclusion, and injustice - both within BRN and our collaborations
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creating an inclusive hiring process and workplace culture with the goal of a staff and board that is justly reflective of the borderlands
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holding ourselves accountable for monitoring and learning from both successes and failures while encouraging feedback from our communities and partners, with the intention of growing into an organization that is safe and welcoming to all borderlands residents
HOW
Equity
Equity means striving to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent the full participation of all individuals and groups. Improving equity involves increasing justice within the procedures and processes of institutions or systems, as well as in their distribution of resources.
The principle of equity acknowledges that there are underserved and underrepresented populations, and that fairness is required in the pursuit of equal opportunities for all groups.
Inclusion
Inclusion is the act of creating environments in which any individual or group is respected, supported, valued, and encouraged to fully participate and be their authentic selves.
An inclusive and welcoming climate embraces differences and offers respect in the words /actions/ thoughts of all people.
Justice
Justice is the concept of fair and transparent relations between individuals and society, where every individual is treated with equal levels of respect, fairness, and kindness.
Justice is measured by explicit and tacit terms for the distribution of power, wealth, education, healthcare, and social privileges.