As the President of WID, and as an individual, I am sad and angry about recent events brought about by white supremacy, white privilege, racism, and police brutality towards members of the black community. In this moment, I want to acknowledge the pain and let you know that as an organization, WID is grieving.
In Fall of 2019, we launched a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee, but the past few days have made very clear that we as a society, and we as an organization, aren’t doing enough. As a predominantly white organization and professional field, we have an obligation to condemn recent events, including the police murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and others. We also have an obligation to confront and disrupt the structural racism that has persisted in our country for centuries.
As a leader in the development space, WID as an organization can’t lead without learning and we can’t learn without listening. We want to amplify the voices of our members and other organizations doing the important work of building a more just society by dismantling systemic racism and social injustice. We are committed to investing in our own diversity as an organization and to offering resources and opportunities for educating and taking action together in our upcoming programming year. Through this work, we will strive to find our own voice and role to create much needed change.
Sincerely,