President’s Letter: Women In Development (WID), NY
February 1, 2020
Black History Month:
Take Your Seats; There’s Room at the Table for Us All
As we all know, February is Black History Month. While no designated month should ever mean that we relegate ourselves to only focusing upon a group for those few weeks out of the year, I do believe that it is important to take the opportunity to shine a light upon important issues during that time. For me personally, this month has a particular significance, as it is my first Black History Month as WID’s first African American President. I have had many conversations and have thought long and hard about what that means for the profession and during my tenure so far, I have been touched by the support I have received from my colleagues, regardless of their backgrounds. I have also been humbled by the outreach I’ve received from women of color in the field, who before now, did not necessarily feel that WID was the right community for them, because they did not see themselves strongly reflected in it. Several of us in leadership had the question on our minds, of whether or not the field was simply not diverse. “Are they out there, and just don’t come? Or do we need to diversify the field more?” In the past seven months, I have seen the composition of the room change at WID events, and it has been a beautiful sight to behold. I see a room which more accurately reflects the field of development. It is a place where everyone, from every background, feels welcome and knows that there is a seat at the WID “table” for them. As WID continues to celebrate its 40th Anniversary, we are quite proud of our four decades of empowering women in fundraising and philanthropy. During this momentous season, WID’s leadership has been deliberate about our place on the fundraising and non-profit leadership landscape.
With this in mind, last year WID launched a two-year Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, which will transition to an Inclusion, Equity and Diversity Committee during the 2020-2021 program year. The Task Force worked with leading experts to determine a set of recommendations, which the WID board approved and I am very excited to say that we are on track to implement 100% of them this year. In alignment with the recommendations, during this month we examined how to make cultural shifts at our organizations during the incredible February 11th breakfast on diversifying board and staff leadership. On February 25th, our WID Lit Book Club will dive into Edgar Villanueva’s Decolonizing Wealth. On February 27th, we’ll hold an event that reminds ALL women that there is seat for them at the leadership table and to own our success! Finally, I am thrilled that we will showcase a sought-after expert in the DEI space, Dr. Angelique Grant of Aspen Leadership Group, for WID Wisdom.
As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, let us remember that DEI work is not to simply satisfy the status quo. And make no mistake, WID is not involved in it to be seen as “woke” and with the times. We are making intentional efforts in this area because we know, without a doubt, the importance of a level playing field.
WID cares about inclusion, equity and diversity, because at the core of this work is a fundamental truth about us as human beings in the non-profit and philanthropic sectors: we know for certain the richness and depth that is brought to our profession; to the “good work,” to which we endeavor, when we embrace ALL of our colleagues, regardless of any particular characteristic.
—Yolanda
Yolanda F. Johnson, President
Women In Development, NY
***Yolanda’s letter was first published for WID communications and is now available here on YFJ Consulting, LLC.
