The League Board of Directors discussed efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion at the Sept. 23 meeting of the board of directors. Here are notes of that discussion.
The DEI Co-Chairs, Susan Spragg and Jocelyn Carter-Miller, led a discussion on the path forward for the DEI Task Force, advocacy and initiatives that may best serve LWVBC, its members and the Broward Community.
The LWVBC board voiced their continued support for the importance of DEI for its organization, partners, and community. This is an issue that requires the League to “push back and not remain silent.”
After reviewing the DEI Task Force goals, objectives, strategies, and actions along with those of the various LWVBC Committees, the board and members decided to take actions to communicate, educate, and engage its constituencies more effectively.
Following the results of these actions, LWVBC/ DEI Task Force intend to evaluate holding a facilitated workshop early next year to coincide with the 2024 election season to establish new goals, strategies, and approaches for effectively supporting DEI efforts, with particular emphasis on voter services and getting out the vote.
The following statement is used uniformly by The League of Women Voters (US), Florida, and Broward County
The League of Women Voters of Broward County is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.
There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, native or indigenous origin, age, generation, sexual orientation, culture, religion, belief system, marital status, parental status, socioeconomic status, language, accent, ability status, mental health, educational level or background, geography, nationality, work style, work experience, job role function, thinking style, personality type, physical appearance, political perspective or affiliation and/or any other characteristic that can be identified as recognizing or illustrating diversity.
Discussion Highlights
- Education
- Participation in meetings and panels on issues impacting Black people/PoC/ Gender (i.e. Elimination of AA History Courses/Gender Studies Courses; book banning)
- Attendance at Broward School Board Meetings
- Development of Panel on the Importance of DEI
- Explanation of what DEI really is
- Outreach/ Partnerships
- Joint meetings with partners (e.g. Pride Center, Urban League)
- Publicizing of LWVBC events/meetings to the broader community
- Tangible and practical efforts (e.g. Infomercial with vignettes of diverse LWVBC members posted on social media and website; TikTok videos)
- Shifting the Perception of LWVBC
- Shift from perception as an organization of older unaware white women to one of diverse, inclusive informed and powerful women
- Importance of white members learning about diverse cultures and valuing them (e.g. PoC may hold the secret to the climate crisis through (T)raditional (E)cological (K)nowledge)
- Starting with Ourselves: LWVBC Literati Book Club Lists of Relevant Literature on website to enable greater cultural knowledge and awareness.Shared additional titles for consideration by Literati.
Next Steps
- Incorporate DEI Section on the LWVBC Website: Monthly feature capturing the successes, accomplishments and activities of all committees having impact on diversity including photographs.Committee Chairs to submit their information to Susan Spragg.
- Publicize DEI Activities of the LWVBC: All LWVBC members to include activities in all emailed documents, Social Media postings, Panel discussions, Committee events/info
- Add DEI Support Sentence(s) to Standard LWVBC Introductory Speech/Elevator Pitch: Margie to draft statement and implement for LWVBC presentations/speakers
- Focus LWVBC Efforts to Ensure Voting/Registration and Anti-Voter Suppression for All Diverse People: Voter Services-led efforts used in all Committees
- Organize Lists of All Partnerships: Committee Chairs to send current partners list to Ana Segura.