JUSTICE & EQUITY
Rooting Justice & Equity in Organizations
R&L Consulting has evolved the conversation on diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion to the next phase of rooting justice and equity in organizations. We welcome collaborations with organizations that are ready to dig deep to uproot systemic injustice and are committed to creating sustainable change. Acknowledging that the issues that prevent change are systemic and deeply rooted is the first step.
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Leadership Readiness Conversations
R&L Consulting can begin this process with you and your organization by holding a readiness conversation with leadership. “Leadership” in this case refers to the organization’s director and others on staff who would be doing the heavy lifting. The purpose of the conversation is for us to listen to your assessment of the organization and develop an understanding of where you believe the challenges and strengths are.
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Assessments & Customized Approach
Next, we can co-create an assessment tool for your organization that allows everyone to share their voice anonymously. The readiness conversation and the data gathered through the assessment provide a snapshot of the current situation in your organization. Once we have determined convergences and divergences, we can design a customized approach for your organization that includes a work plan and timeline. With our phased approach to this work, you and your organization decide what you are ready to focus on first.
Rooting justice and equity into the foundation of your organization is a long-term commitment. It isn’t something that will be solved quickly, and the path forward isn’t always a straight one. R&L Consulting is willing to guide you for as long as you need the support on the journey.
Justice :
Involves dismantling systemic barriers to resources and opportunities so that everyone can live a full and dignified life.* This requires acknowledging all the ways these barriers have inflicted harm and denied access while centering the voices and perspectives of those harmed by these systems.
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[ * Source: The Avarna Group]
Equity:
Fair access to resources that advances social justice by allowing for full participation in society and self-determination in meeting fundamental needs. This requires addressing structural and historical barriers and systems of oppression.
[Source: CCLI National Landscape Study: The State of DEAI Practices in Museums (2020) by Cecilia Garibay and Jeanne Marie Olson]
Statement of Commitment:
R&L Consulting is committed to addressing and incorporating principles of justice and equity, both internally as an independent consulting firm and externally through our work with clients.
We give voice to these principles through our collaborations with organizations like yours. We secure funding to implement projects that embrace and reflect justice and equity in your workplace and community. We weave these principles into institution-wide planning processes like strategic-, master-, interpretive-, exhibition-, outreach- and program-planning. Perhaps most importantly, we encourage and expect you to bring divergent voices—from inside and outside the organization—to give relevance, balance, and strength to each project we work on together.
We revisit our Statement of Commitment every six months to reflect our ongoing education in these areas as well as key developments in the field.
R&L Consulting acts on its commitment by providing pro bono services to support organizations making an impact in their communities. Our current partner in this work is: Ma's House
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Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio Inc. is led by Indigenous artist Jeremy Dennis. Begun in June 2020, the project created a communal art space on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation in Southampton, New York. Re-envisioned as the center of a BIPOC artist-in-residence program, the 1960s family home now features an art studio and library. It hosts an array of art and history-based programs for tribe members and the broader local community.
