April 2, 2018
We are excited to launch our next round of equity cohorts – an invitation that 37 organizations responded to, 23 of which are new to the program. It’s an encouraging and exciting sign that this effort has caught some serious traction and is providing value for our partners who are working toward diversity, equity and inclusion on the personal, organizational and cross-institutional levels. Thanks to support from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and others, this program makes structured equity trainings, assessments and strategies affordable to many partners who might not otherwise be able to participate.
This level of self-examination is critical work that we all must do in order to contribute to healthy, thriving communities and ecosystems. The journey is both personal and professional -- we cannot explore these issues if we don’t look inside ourselves in addition to our institutional landscape. All of us on The Intertwine Alliance staff have been profoundly altered by participation in DEI trainings and cohorts, and are striving to make equity a central tenet of all we do. It can be very uncomfortable, and it can be challenging to see progress. Advancing equity as part of a cohort provides a level of support, feedback, encouragement and perspective to keep us all moving forward.
I thank and encourage those who have taken on this journey and the hard work that lies ahead. It will be our sector’s true measure of success to see ourselves and our institutions through other’s eyes, to better understand how to engage the diversity of our community, and to empower new voices to guide us. We appreciate everyone’s willingness to be humble, vulnerable and to “fail forward” -- a phrase I have become personally attached to -- as we all attempt to advance together.
Warmly,
David Cohen
Interim Executive Director