Putting DEIB Into Action: What are we doing?

DEI&B Actions Taken to Date

• A DEI&B committee of the board was established to spearhead this work.
• The Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position was created. The focus of this position was to operationalize the strategic intention.
• A survey was developed for board and staff to determine a baseline of DEI&B knowledge, understanding and connection to our mission.
• Board and staff began engaging in learning opportunities.

• A culture was created that embraces tough conversations, invites vulnerability and embodies solidarity. It moves beyond normal conversations between co-workers.
• The creation of a DEI&B glossary to encourage a shared and inclusive language.
• Hosted a workshop for our grantee partners focused on leading across differences.

The Foundation has put together a DEI&B Framework, which includes our Vision Statement, Values, Guiding Principles, and Commitment to Action. This document will be used to lead, guide and hold the Foundation accountable as we begin the process of developing strategy, goals and action steps specifying how we want to move the work of DEI&B forward.

So far, I have focused on the business case for the Foundation’s work in the DEI&B space. Now let’s focus on our faith case for DEI&B.

DEI&B is grounded in Catholic social teaching — which focuses on a concern for human dignity and the inherent worth of the individual.

In 1958, American Catholic Bishops said, “For us, the existence of racial intolerance, discrimination and privilege is not only a social injustice; we believe that racism is absolutely irreconcilable with Christian faith.”

As a faith-based, Catholic organization, we believe in one creator — God and the common origin of humankind. We believe that the diversity of the human family is a divine blessing from God.

I often think that DEI&B is similar to the story of Pentecost and how different people were able to hear God’s word proclaimed in their own language. The Holy Spirit’s descent did not cancel or get rid of differences of race, language or culture. The spirit’s presence caused these differences not to be a barrier to the unity of the human family. That is the work of DEI&B — to remove barriers in all the many forms so that everyone has equal opportunities to live and thrive.

Cardinal James A. Hickey, former archbishop of Washington, was asked once why the church should be concerned with raising funds for healthcare for immigrants. Even though this was important work, some questioned if this was work that the church should be involved with especially since the people being helped were not Catholic. Cardinal Hickey’s response was profound. He said, “We shelter the homeless, educate those hungry for knowledge, and care for the sick, not because they’re Catholic, but because we’re Catholic.”

The Sisters of Charity Foundation is committed to the work of DEI&B for the same reason. We are Catholic. We cannot ignore racism, exclusion and intolerance in any form and claim to serve those experiencing poverty.

I hope that something from this article has resonated with you. We are not perfect in this work. But we are trying. We are taking conscious steps to become an organization that seeks to expand diversity, to always be equitable, to embrace inclusion and give everyone a sense of belonging.