As those of us in the United States and across the world watch armed military forces deployed to confront public outcry related to ICE raids, those of us leading and working in organizations may be struggling to find a path forward.
If you’ve felt there isn’t a simple or clear position that will keep your organization or your community perfectly safe in this moment, you’re right. These issues are tied to our moral compass and how we collectively define civil society, inherently affecting us all. This moment asks us to live boldly into our values. Yet, we are often facing limitations for what we can do and have capacity for, and all managing different levels of risk both personally and organizationally. How can you possibly balance these things? Here are some recommendations:
1. Speak out when your voice matters
When you speak up and for whom has direct implications for your capacity and focus as an organization. When the opposition’s strategy is to “flood the zone,” aka pile up so much chaos and confusion that we are stunned and ineffective, we need to steady ourselves with some strategic focus and boundaries.
You will likely be called upon to take a stand on issues affecting your communities and partners in ways that are novel, indirectly linked to your mission, or outside organizational precedence. But how to determine when to take that innovative or bold stand? Try using The 5 Rs, a solidarity screen when a group or community has been targeted and you’re uncertain if your organization should take a stand. The 5 Rs invite you to reflect on:
- Relevance: what is the issue and how is it connected to either your mission, your region, or the communities you partner with, serve, or seek to include?
- Responsibility: because of your region’s history and the nature of your work, does your organization’s voice have special weight on this matter?
- Resources: what actions, support, or other material resources is your organization committed to investing in this issue? For how long?
- Rapidity: how quickly do you have to take action?
Is there a specific event or opportunity that your support can directly impact? - Risk: What happens if you do or don’t take a stand?
2. Preemptive edits have big implications
There are strong indicators that the federal government in the US is using bots and filters, sometimes inaccurately, to flag groups for “unlawful” activities related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. For example, I recently heard about a group receiving a cease-and-desist letter because their work referenced “Hidden Diversity trailhead” in Arkansas. The US Embassy has even started demanding that other countries end their diversity, equity, or inclusion policies.
With the constantly shifting and potentially very consequential threats being raised, organizations have been assessing risk, including weighing the value of scrubbing some language from websites, grant applications, and other public communication in the hopes of avoiding being targeted.
While that choice is up to each organization, what we have collectively learned is that rather than creating the safety we seek for our teams and communities, preemptive compliance can actually embolden those who demand it to escalate their requirements.
Corporations that rolled back DEI initiatives, like Target, have experienced public pushback leading to losses in sales and reputational harm. Reputational and community trust are easy to lose and extremely difficult to regain, so ask yourself, how will your choices impact this.
Editing history and language also gives over the power of the pen and of history to others. The US National Park Service recently “edited” how it presented the Underground Railroad, radically diminishing the fact of slavery and Harriet Tubman’s leadership. On the one hand, some people within NPS may have felt this was strategically helpful for appeasing the administration so that other “good” work could continue.
On the other, public statements and representations of history are the bedrock from which we collectively define reality and what is true. Those edits enraged communities and key allies for their work.
As you consider how to best serve your team and your community, direct communication with your staff, supporters, and donors can be very powerful. If you feel that addressing current issues your organization is facing is essential, bring your community along. This is a chance to deepen your connection and their support.
The DEI Resource Collection on Accountability provides grounding frameworks so organizations don’t back down from their DEI commitments and goals—especially when there are challenges, consensus is elusive, or a repair needs to be made. Accountability ensures that you are resilient and continue moving your organization holistically forward in activating your DEI values to foster a healthy world for all.
3. Button up internal practices and trainings
Regardless of your organization’s level of public commitment and activities for diversity, equity, inclusion, and access, we are entering a period of conflict and instability which will have ripple effects for your staff and community. You would be wise to consider the following activities:
- Clarify what is legal and permitted for staff by your organization
You never want to limit staff’s civic engagement, but it can be helpful to remind everyone about online safety and standards of conduct for your organization. The goal is to ensure that staff’s activities as private individuals are clearly distinct from their role and work with the organization.
If you don’t have a social media policy, discuss and adopt one—especially for any staff that post on your organization’s accounts. Confirm basic online safety practices such as no bullying, harassment, or inflammatory language or posting staff locations in real time. Share resources on digital safety and public protest.
For staff travel, clarify what their work hours entail and when they are acting as representatives for the organization. Likewise, review what is permissible on organizational phone lines or computers—especially if they are traveling internationally or have to go through TSA checks with any devices. If staff use personal phones or computers for work activities, make sure they log out of all work systems at the close of each work session.
- Know Your Rights
In the US, ICE enforcement is testing legal boundaries for permanent residents and non-citizens, especially those who engage in activism. Though the likelihood of your organization being targeted for ICE activity is unknown, the risk is not zero. You’d be wise to ensure staff are informed, prepared to legally comply, and not take actions that may endanger themselves, others, or create legal risk. Check out the Civil Liberties Defense Center for resources and guidance; if you work out of WA, OR, CO, CA, ID MT and AZ make sure to do some additional research regarding state regulations that either expand or limit ICE’s activities.
- Bystander and de-escalation trainings
Everyone is experiencing a higher degree of stress, which means some public spaces carry increased risks. A bystander and de-escalation training can help your staff, even if they don’t manage public events or volunteers, to feel more prepared. There are many organizations, such as Right To Be, that offers resources and can provide support. For in-person trainings, reach out to your closest LGBTQ center or women’s anti-violence advocates for possible trainers.
If this work to live into your values feels scary, shaky, or like you’re being asked to do something nearly impossible, your feelings are accurate.
Trying to transform our community will challenge us, often on deeply personal and individual levels, to see, act, and embrace the differences between us that enrich our world. I hope we hold onto our values for fairness and a broad vision for our humanity. Embracing these complexities and converting them into action, even small ones, is the heart of the good fight—a way to engage in good trouble and work towards the greater good.
In solidarity,
5Rs: A Solidarity Screen
As you become a more inclusive organization and strengthen diverse community connections, you may find yourself called to take action on issues that are unprecedented for your group. Was there a public incident or threat targeting a minority group in your community? Has this incident sparked public outrage? Or has this issue alarmingly failed to spark public concern? This screen can help your group decide on what your organization is prepared to responsibly say and do. Plan to take 30-60 minutes to work through the screen.
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maia mareš
Program Manager
TREC Ops Team
maia loves road trips, writing and reading fiction, and walking through his neighborhood in Seattle, noticing how the plants and birds change with the seasons. He also enjoys Formula One and is a big OP81 fan!
He enjoys coming back to places, returning again and again to the locations he loves the most in the world. Many of these are in the Shawangunk Mountains of upstate New York where he grew up, but he also spends a lot of time on the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and northern California.
He recommends the entire Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells for a compulsively readable story about the importance of growing into your own autonomy and learning that you don’t have to go it alone in a harsh world.
Favorite food: Do I have to pick just one?! I love all types of food, but my close to home favorite is New Mexican food! Enchiladas made by yours truly and a place at a Santa Fe staple, Tomasitas!
Hometown: Santa Fe, NM!
Place that brings you joy: My bed, watching some true crime or horror show or movie! Also, the gym!
Album recommendation: I Said I Love You First, Selena Gomez x benny blanco!