Four years later - DEI Journey
Four years ago, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. SVBC staff, comprised of majority women and several people from the BIPOC community felt demoralized. We wrote about that feeling here. And we used it as a pretext to talk more publicly about a journey that the organization had started to center diversity, equity and inclusion in its work.
Four years have passed and we’ve kept at it. Today, we share with you that old blog as the marker of the beginnings of our journey. Since that time, we hired a consultant through the Hewlett Foundation, did a lot of learning together, selected values for the organization (social justice and cultural humility) and developed a diversity, equity, and inclusion plan (here).
The journey has been hard. We’ve learned a lot and we continue to learn, every day. Below, SVBC Board, staff, past and present shares some of their musings about our journey. For me, what I am most proud of is that as a staff, we went from a group of folks who were scared to talk about things like racism to one that has normalized hard conversations. I feel this is the foundation to being able to show up better in the community. We are now able to welcome, hear, process and learn from criticism and mistakes.
Thank you for your support in this journey as we learn, make mistakes and grow, all to create a more just and equitable society through the every day use of the bicycle.
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Carlos Velasquez, former staff: I was part of the SVBC team during the beginning stages of their DEI work. I really appreciated Shiloh making the time in our work day, board meetings and staff retreats to have some awkward but liberating and necessary conversations about racism and inequality both in our personal lives and among the larger bicycling community. Truthfully, at the time I didn’t think much of it; I’ve seen and been part of many organizations who start the conversation about equity and systemic injustices but never progress to a stage where it truly informs the work in a permanent way. I applaud SVBC for continuing this work almost 5 years later and for truly showing a commitment to tackling racism and inequalities within bicycling and transportation policies, programs and advocacy. I still think there’s much more SVBC, the City of San Jose and the region can do to make our streets safer and services more accessible, but I’m comforted knowing that SVBC is listening to and valuing people like me.
Lyndsey Marks, former staff: It was very uncomfortable for me when we started the work. I felt like I couldn’t speak, I had no place to speak as a white woman. I was afraid to say the wrong thing. The best thing we did as a team was to make it ok to say things that we weren’t sure were ok. And we did a small thing at staff meetings that was really important – we shared our own daily experiences that make us aware of “isms”… the daily slanders, stereotypes, judgments so many of us feel… we created a place to share that safely.
Sandhya Laddha, current staff: One of my greatest learnings in this process has been that getting communities involved in what you are doing is “imposing” your needs and priorities on them. Instead, understanding the needs of the community and trying to align your goals and aspirations with their needs feels like the true meaning of inclusion. And it’s tough! And definitely physically and mentally consuming. And not just that, sometimes you are so full of your ideas and priorities, are you even able to actually hear and understand what the community is saying?
Seeking out and partnering with local groups and community-based organizations, who already understand and are committed to their respective groups, has been something we’re trying to do more and more. As an organization with a larger goal of improving bicycling conditions, we might never become a favorite of several who have other priorities. But relying on these CBOs helps us stay connected with the communities, spread education and awareness and opportunities to participate, bridge the gap between them and the decision makers, and strive for their needs around active transportation.
Emma Shlaes, current staff: The most important part of the journey so far was adopting cultural humility as a key part of SVBC’s framework. Cultural humility means that you don’t have all the answers, are open to hearing others’ perspectives, and are constantly learning. Accepting that constant learning makes it easier to talk about missteps and not judge one another. It’s fun and interesting to keep learning every month about new issues and new ways of looking at things.
Margarita Parra, SVBC Board member who in her previous role with the Hewlett Foundation, funded SVBC’s DEI work: Embarking in centering equity in our all work has been a long twisty, windy and hilly road. People who ride bikes understand the analogy. Sometimes you think you have made progress over a hill only to face the next corner with a head wind into the next climb. SVBC led by its staff and board had made a lot of progress in our DEI journey but we’ve made mistakes and have encountered unanticipated problems. One particular thing I am proud of is changing the ratio at the board bringing more women of color. It has been a key to keep advancing and getting the energy in the legs that we need for the next hill.
Peter Ingram, former SVBC Board Chair: I’m so grateful that I was thrust into the journey by some good choices and by evolving circumstances. Thank you (SVBC) for instilling in me a nascent sense that I need to hold myself to account for helping to shift nonprofit organizations toward more and better equity and inclusion. I’ve returned to my original “home” nonprofit, the Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve. It – like SVBC, crossed the 25-year milestone in 2018, and continues to exemplify the “all volunteer” model for a high-functioning nonprofit organization. As current board president, I have three roles: Volunteer ED, board chair, and project manager of an innovative habitat restoration initiative. The pandemic has triggered one of my finest “ah-ha” moments of 2020, and it is the realization that the waves of Edgewood visitors seeking respite from the lockdown are new to the preserve, are very diverse, younger, and our board does not look like them and is struggling to understand their needs. This is symptomatic of a more complex set of governance and values challenges, and can serve as a catalyst to move the organization into the journey. I am experiencing excitement and trepidation: Constant discomfort is the space I’m coming to appreciate as I talk with potential partners to journey with.
