Imani “Faith” Missouri, Coach Faith, joins us again with a transparent piece on the importance of being on one accord in mission and action.

“All in together girls...how do you like the weather girls…”. I remember singing this multigenerational melody while jumping rope as a young girl. It was one of the melodic jumpstarts to entering in with focus and determination, knowing one's boundaries while also being keenly aware that the rope turners were your support system. They were moving to the cadence of the song, the rope and your feet. I have recollections of moving in these “circles” of support, whether it was my 4th birthday in daycare holding the hand of my then childhood bestie or doing multiple rounds of a step routine for practice in high school. For those that saw the movie Drumline, we were not leaving that cafetaria until it was “one beat one sound”. My hands, thighs and feet had a few moments of,  “I’m ready to tap out”. I didn’t tap out, we didn’t tap out, but rather

we recognized that each one was a part of the whole. We had to be “all in together”. 

This snapshot of striving to move to the beat of one drum, one sound, aware of boundaries or limitations, has had me reflecting on the “now what?” in a lot of organizational diversity statements (some have committed to doing transformative work but a number of organizations have just made statements). Reflecting on my journey into the workforce, mission has been core to my career decisions. I sought mission alignment with my values and also sought representation. More specifically, I wanted to see Black women in leadership. As you might imagine that was a rare sighting. This disconnect had me ponder the misrepresentation (often couched in umbrella terms of “low-income”, “first-gen”, “social justice” etc.), “You hired me, now what?” The “all in together” was missing. It was more like a “how do you like the weather?”, small-talk, light-touch and lacking depth. I found myself driving diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies because of my commitment to mission; grossly underpaid for the fullness of the labor that goes into this work.  I also noticed a budding resentment towards the support for affinity groups that existed in the private sector and not considered a priority in the broader social impact sector.

The sector has the heart but it's pulse is offbeat. 

I just recently celebrated the 2-year anniversary of my podcast Forward 40(4tea). The genesis of it was more spiritual than professional. I noticed there was a gap, there was a wrestling in my spirit and I was led to be a part of the solution. As I write this I realize that these women of color served as a global employee resource group for me and our listeners;  a missing link in the sector.  It is almost akin to the collegiality I experienced on my high school step team only this time our sound was amplified over the airwaves; a clarion call for moving beyond diversity and truly being inclusive, equitable and just.

We have seen a growing awareness and piqued interest to be “doers of the word” over the last year. Yet there are a number of organizations using the umbrella terms to attract new talent while their current employee base is grappling with fatigue. They’re the unsung heroes getting up each day to a cacophony of DEI messaging and often missing the mark, action. They’re told to smell the roses and be glad in it. For the organizational “leaders” that communicate the latter, be it in word or behavior, here are the questions you need to interrogate:

We have diversity in the room, what’s our strategy for inclusion? Who’s included and who isn’t? 

The outcomes of this strategy/agenda are going to benefit whom and how?

When we address this, it is going to benefit our culture by..?

These may seem like simple questions but organizations far and wide are falling short. As one of my podcast guests, Brandy Grant, Executive Director of the City of Seattle Community Police Commission puts it, you have to “be willing to walk the mile”. Are leaders truly willing to weather the storms that come in the fight towards racial justice and equity? What happens now that one hashtag shifts further down the line of growing ones day by day? 

Oneness isn’t sameness. Your employees are there to help drive the work. They are the ones who truly hold the beat. They are the rope turners. Turn to them and make it clear that your commitment to this work isn’t recess or extracurricular. 

Some recommendations:

• If you don’t have employee resource groups (ERG), consider starting, supporting, resourcing and scaling them for equity. It is not enough for an ERG to just remain at the committee level without resources. Take a page out of the private sector book for what it’s worth, gather best-practices and make it line up with your mission.

• If you are looking for a way to deepen your organization's culture of diversity, inclusion and community, Juneteenth is right around the corner. Consider this Juneteenth opportunity that centers sustainable Black economic feeedom by DIFFvelopment , a Black-led nonprofit that I am proud to sit on the Board for, for actualizing the change we all want to see.

About Imani

With 8 consecutive years of women’s education, Imani is especially dedicated to uplifting women across generations. She is the creator, host and producer of the Forward 40 (4tea) podcast, which highlights the experiences of 40 women of color on the rise in the nonprofit and social enterprise sectors. She is also the founder of The Forward Academy, a faith-centered professional development platform for women of color seeking to define themselves beyond their titles.