EPIC-N Commitment to Anti-racism
Dear EPIC-Network stakeholders,
Shortly after the murder of George Floyd, the EPIC-N Board of Directors discussed their shared desire not just to say something about the ongoing horror of racism in this country, but to commit as an organization to being more deliberately anti-racist in all aspects of the network. For us, this is not about cosmetic changes or rhetoric, but deliberate centering of the work needed to deconstruct racial inequity and exclusion in all our work as a network, and in the EPIC programs that comprise us. Just how best to do that, and progress on it, is something we’ll be reporting on regularly from here on out.
Here’s our statement of commitment, adopted unanimously by the Board:
Black Lives Matter.
Racism is deeply woven into the fabric of the United States, its structures, institutions and governance. The design of these systems have created, and continue to create, social, economic and judicial racial disparities; these systems must be dismantled.
EPIC-N recognizes the importance of focus on corrective action and the need to change policies utilized by dominant actors and institutions which devalue Black lives, defame what it means to be Black and discriminate against Black and Brown people. EPIC-N therefore embraces the responsibility to ground our work in dismantling broken structures and rebuild new systems that support our EPIC-N partners and programs to act in ways that deconstruct institutional and structural racism.
As a mostly white organization, we commit to being deliberately anti-racist in our own efforts and race-conscious as we pursue our mission. We will be making adjustments to our organization, structure and how we support our members as we move forward and we ask that you hold us to this commitment.
| If you have any questions or comments about the statement and its implications, please send them to Marshall Curry (EPIC-N Program Manager) at mcurry@epicn.org. And of course feel free to contact me, or other members of the board, as well. Hope you’re staying healthy and safe in these hard times. Joel Rogers EPIC-N Board Chair (jrogers@epicn.org) On behalf of … The EPIC-N Board of Directors President Marc Schlossberg Vice President Jessica Barlow Kristin Baja Laura Bloch Branden Born Mazi Ferguson Courtney Griesel Mike James Tad McGaillard Anne Reichmann Jane Rogan Gilbert Siame |
