This Is Your Invitation: Help Build a Community Where Everyone Belongs

Please make a gift of any size today—and then share our campaign with your friends, family, and colleagues. Together, we can build something our communities need right now.

Donate here: GoFundMe.com Support our fight for inclusion and Human Dignity for all

There is a place for you here.

Whether you use the term DEI or not, if you believe every person deserves dignity, opportunity, belonging, fairness, accessibility, and the chance to thrive, this Community Coalition is being built for you.

Everybody.

People with disabilities. Veterans. LGBTQ+ people. Women. People of every race and ethnicity. Rural communities. Faith communities. Business leaders. Educators. Students. Parents. Nonprofit professionals. Labor leaders. Entrepreneurs. Allies. Dreamers. Builders. Neighbors.

If you believe our differences make us stronger and that communities flourish when everyone has a chance to contribute, you already belong.

Over the past year, I’ve had the privilege of serving as Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion (ISDI) on a part-time basis. Alongside an extraordinary team of dedicated volunteers, we’ve poured our hearts into creating something we believe has never been more necessary. Last summer, we facilitated an authentic strategic planning process involving more than 60 leaders working across diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging, human rights, and social justice. Their backgrounds were different. Their organizations were different. But their message was remarkably consistent.

People feel isolated.

Many feel under pressure.

Too many are fighting the same battles alone.

They long for a place where they can connect with others who care, learn from one another, celebrate victories, solve problems together, and find the encouragement to keep going.

That vision became the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion.

This isn’t another organization asking people to choose sides.

It’s a place to come together.

A place to exchange ideas.

A place to learn.

A place to organize.

A place to celebrate progress.

A place to remind one another that hope grows stronger when it is shared.

We’re now just weeks away from launching the Coalition on the Circle platform, and we’re asking our community to help us cross the finish line.

If this vision resonates with you, I hope you’ll consider making a gift of any size.

Every donation brings us one step closer to opening the doors to a welcoming community where people can discover resources, build relationships, develop leadership, exchange ideas, and create lasting impact together.

You can contribute here: GoFundMe.com Support our fight for inclusion and Human dignity for all

  Click to go to GoFundMe.com

Throughout my career, I have been blessed with opportunities to work alongside remarkable people who believe that accessibility, opportunity, and inclusion are not special favors—they are essential building blocks of a healthy society.

This Coalition has become one of the projects closest to my heart because I believe it answers a question so many people are asking today:

Where do I belong?

Our answer is simple.

Here.

Step into the circle.

Bring your experiences.

Bring your hopes.

Bring your questions.

Bring your passion for building a world where every person is valued.

You’ll be welcomed with open arms.

And if you’re unable to give financially today, you can still make an enormous difference. Please share our GoFundMe campaign through your social media networks. You never know who might be inspired to join this movement because you took a moment to spread the word.

Thank you for believing that communities are stronger when everyone has a seat at the table.

Thank you for helping us build something that will serve people for years to come.

Together, let’s create a community where everyone belongs.

With gratitude,

Kirk Adams, PhD
Executive Director
Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion

P.S. Please make a gift of any size today, then take one more minute to share the campaign directly from the GoFundMe page with your social networks. Every donation expands our reach. Every share expands our community. Every person who joins strengthens our collective ability to build a more just, welcoming, and inclusive future.

  Click to go to GoFundMe.com

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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We Are Stronger Together. Join the Circle.

Over the past several years, something has become painfully clear.

Those of us working to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging, human rights, and social justice often care deeply about many of the same values. We want communities where every person is treated with dignity. We want workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We want a society that lives up to its highest ideals.

Yet too often, our efforts remain fragmented.

One organization focuses on disability. Another on racial justice. Another on LGBTQ+ equality. Another on women’s leadership. Another on veterans. Another on aging. Another on economic opportunity.

Every one of these efforts matters.

But when we work in isolation, our collective voice becomes quieter than it should be.

The challenges we face are simply too interconnected for any one movement to solve alone.

That is why the Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion is building something different.

We are creating the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion; a national gathering place where champions of human dignity, fairness, accessibility, and justice can connect, collaborate, learn from one another, and build lasting relationships across every identity, every sector, every generation, and every community.

This coalition is not just for DEI professionals.

It is for nonprofit leaders.

It is for business leaders.

It is for educators.

It is for disability advocates.

It is for civil rights organizations.

It is for veterans.

It is for faith communities.

It is for labor leaders.

It is for students.

It is for parents and grandparents.

It is for anyone who believes that every person deserves to belong.

In short…

This coalition is for everybody.

America recently celebrated its 250th birthday, a reminder that our nation has always been a work in progress. Generation after generation has helped bend the arc of our shared story toward greater freedom, greater opportunity, and greater justice.

Now it is our turn.

Not by standing apart.

But by standing together.

We believe the future belongs to people who build bridges instead of walls. People who choose collaboration over competition. People who understand that our differences are not obstacles, rather they are strengths.

That’s why we’re asking for your help today.

We are raising funds to build and launch the Coalition on the Circle platform that will serve as the digital home for this growing community. It will be where members share resources, solve problems together, mentor emerging leaders, organize around common challenges, and discover that none of us has to do this work alone.

Here’s the beautiful part:

You don’t have to make a large gift to make a meaningful difference.

Give what you can.

Five dollars.

Ten dollars.

Twenty-five dollars.

Fifty dollars.

Whatever feels right.

Every contribution says the same thing:

“I believe we are stronger together.”

Your gift is more than a donation.

It is your name added to a growing community of people choosing hope over division.

It is your hand reaching out to someone you’ve never met.

It is your voice joining thousands of others who believe that collaboration is more powerful than isolation.

And if you’re not able to give today, you can still make an enormous difference by sharing this campaign with your friends, colleagues, family members, and professional networks.

Movements grow one conversation at a time.

Communities grow one relationship at a time.

Coalitions grow one person at a time.

Today, I invite you to become one of those people.

Join us.

Help democratize our collective power.

Help build a community where everyone has a place.

Help bring more people into the circle.

Please make a gift of any size today, and then share this campaign with someone else who believes that our best future is one we build together.

Together, we can create something far greater than any of us could build alone.

Please donate here: GoFundMe  Support Our Fight for Inclusion & Human Dignity for All

Thank you for believing in this vision.

I’ll see you in the Circle.

— Dr. Kirk Adams
Executive Director
Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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We Can’t Wait for Someone Else to Build the Future

What if the most important thing we could do right now is simply refuse to stand alone?

Across the country, diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging efforts are facing unprecedented challenges. Programs are being dismantled. Leaders are being isolated. Communities that have fought for decades to gain a seat at the table are being told their voices matter less than they did yesterday.

Many people are feeling exhausted. Some are afraid. Others are wondering whether all the progress we have made can survive this moment.

I believe it can.

But only if we build something stronger than any one organization, employer, consultant, advocate, or movement can build alone.

That is why the Institute for Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion is creating the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion—a national online community where people can connect, learn, share resources, support one another, and organize for a more just and inclusive future.

The Coalition will serve as a digital home for DEIAB practitioners, community leaders, educators, advocates, allies, and people directly impacted by the rollback of inclusion efforts. It will be a place where people can find practical tools, strategic support, professional relationships, leadership development opportunities, and a sense of community during a difficult time.

In short, it will be the connective tissue our movement needs right now.

And today, I am asking for your help.

ISDI Board Chair Dr. Joseph Marth and I made the first two donations to launch our fundraising campaign. Together, we contributed the first $1,000 toward our $20,000 goal.

GoFundMe  Support Our Fight for Inclusion & Human Dignity for All

We did that because we believe leadership starts with showing up.

We would never ask others to invest in something we were unwilling to invest in ourselves.

The funds raised through this campaign will help us launch and implement our national Circle community platform, create the Coalition’s digital infrastructure, onboard members, develop programming, build resource libraries, support outreach efforts, and create a sustainable foundation for future growth.

This is not simply a fundraising campaign.

It is an invitation.

An invitation to help build a community where people can find courage when they are discouraged.

Where practitioners can find support when they feel isolated.

Where advocates can find allies.

Where communities can find one another.

Where hope can be organized into action.

At ISDI, we often say:

“The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion will help members move from reactive, isolated survival mode to strategic, sustainable, collective power.”

That is exactly what this moment requires.

The forces working against inclusion are organized.

We must be organized too.

The forces spreading fear are coordinated.

We must coordinate hope.

The forces seeking to divide us are persistent.

We must be even more persistent in building community.

If you believe that diversity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging, fairness, equal opportunity, and human dignity matter, I hope you will join Joseph and me in supporting this effort.

Whether your gift is $25, $50, $100, $500, or more, you are helping create the infrastructure that allows people across the country to come together and build something bigger than themselves.

Most importantly, you are helping send a message:

We are still here.

We are not giving up.

And we are building what comes next.

Please consider making a contribution today and sharing the campaign with your networks.

Together, we can create a stronger home for inclusion, a stronger movement for equity, and a stronger future for all.

With gratitude and hope,

Kirk Adams, PhD
Executive Director
Institute for Sustainable Diversity & Inclusion (ISDI)

P.S. Every movement begins with people who decide that the future is worth building. Joseph and I have taken the first step. We hope you’ll take the next one with us.

GoFundMe  Support Our Fight for Inclusion & Human Dignity for All

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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Resistance starts with action—one step at a time

The way to fight back against the attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion, human rights, and social justice is to begin—one step at a time:

1. START by being more informed: Go to www.i4sdi.org today and sign up for email announcements, so you can,
2. BE A TRAILBLAZER: Support our GoFundMe campaign to build the community platform going on now, and
3. STOP trying to deal with this situation all alone, then
4. BECOME a founding member of the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion when we launch on August 3.

Lately, I have been hearing the same question from diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, social justice, and human rights leaders across the country.

Not a question about legal strategy.

Not a question about funding.

Not even a question about organizational priorities.

The question underneath everything else.

Is this even working? (or Is this even worth it?)

It is the question that emerges after months of attacks, setbacks, exhaustion, and uncertainty. It is the question that quietly erodes momentum. It is the question that turns determination into doubt.

Hopelessness is one of the greatest threats facing our movement today.

Not because people no longer care.

Not because the need for justice has disappeared.

But because constant resistance without renewal eventually drains even the strongest among us.

I was recently reading the work of writer and philosopher David Whyte, who speaks about the courage required to cultivate a healthy relationship with the unknown. His observation feels particularly relevant right now.

None of us knows exactly what comes next.

We do not know what new challenges will emerge.

We do not know which strategies will prove most effective.

We do not know how quickly progress will come.

But perhaps the goal is not to eliminate uncertainty.

Perhaps the goal is to build a healthier relationship with it.

And one of the best ways to do that is through community.

When we stand alone, the unknown can feel frightening.

When we stand together, the unknown becomes a space of possibility.

Community reminds us that we are not carrying the burden by ourselves.

Community helps us remember victories we have forgotten.

Community allows us to borrow hope from one another when our own supply runs low.

Most importantly, community creates room for joy.

Joy is often misunderstood as a distraction from serious work.

In reality, joy may be one of the most powerful forms of resistance available to us.

Joy reminds us what we are fighting for.

Joy fuels creativity.

Joy strengthens relationships.

Joy helps transform survival into sustainability.

Joy allows us to imagine a future worth building.

The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion is being created because we believe our work must be anchored not only in resistance, but also in possibility.

Not only in reacting to threats, but in creating solutions.

Not only in defending what matters, but in building what comes next.

The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion will help members move from reactive, isolated survival mode to strategic, sustainable, collective power.

Together, coalition members will share resources, strengthen relationships, develop strategies, solve common problems, and build the kind of resilient community that can withstand uncertainty while continuing to move forward.

Because the answer to the question, “Is this even working?”  (or, is this even worth it?) is not found in any single organization, leader, or initiative.

The answer is found in what happens when people come together around a shared commitment to justice, dignity, belonging, and human flourishing.

The answer is found in community.

The answer is found in possibility.

The answer is found when we choose to resist hopelessness itself.

Join us.

Start with one step at a time: Begin by visiting www.i4sdi.org and sign up for email announcements today.

RESIST. BUILD. BELONG.

August 3 is coming. The Community Coalition starts then!

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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Standing Together!

Let’s go!

The countdown is on.

On August 3, we will officially launch the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion, and I could not be more excited about what we are building together.

Before then, on June 23, we launched a GoFundMe campaign that will give social justice, human rights, accessibility, belonging, and inclusion champions an opportunity to help fund the Circle platform on which this Community Coalition will be built.

The vision is becoming real.

Over the past several weeks, we have been defining the initial spaces that will be available to founding members when the coalition launches. We will spend the coming weeks building out both the website and the mobile app, creating a digital home where people committed to justice can connect, learn, strategize, and act together.

Our initial coalition spaces will include:

• A robust resource library
• A searchable membership directory
• A Rapid Response Hub
• A Next Generation Inclusion Leaders community
• A Futurists Forum where members can explore proactive strategies to get ahead of the escalating attacks on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging, and human dignity

Most importantly, members will help shape what comes next.

Because this coalition is not something we are building for people.

It is something we are building with people.

As we often say:

The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion will help members move from reactive, isolated survival mode to strategic, sustainable, collective power.

That collective power becomes especially important when we examine one of the most common challenges facing inclusion advocates today.

Problem: Fear of Backlash or Retaliation

Across virtually every sector, we hear the same concern.

People care deeply about fairness, accessibility, inclusion, belonging, and human dignity.

Yet many are afraid to speak up.

They worry about professional consequences.

They worry about social consequences.

They worry about becoming targets.

Speaking up feels risky.

And in today’s environment, those concerns are not imaginary.

But perhaps there is another way.

A Possible Solution: Narrative Framing That Reduces Personal Exposure

One of the functions of the Coalition will be helping members develop effective narrative framing tools.

Rather than positioning issues as political battles, members can learn to frame them around shared values:

• Opportunity
• Community
• Human potential
• Innovation
• Economic participation
• Customer service
• Organizational excellence
• Human dignity

The Coalition can help members discover language, stories, data, and messaging approaches that advance inclusion while reducing unnecessary personal risk.

No one should have to stand alone.

And when many voices are telling the same story, the spotlight becomes less concentrated on any one individual.

Collective action creates collective protection.

Pride Month and the Arc of Progress

June is Pride Month.

July is Disability Pride Month.

The connection between these observances is deeper than many people realize.

I was born and raised in small rural communities in the Pacific Northwest.

The environment I grew up in was not typically violent or openly hostile toward LGBTQ+ people. Yet homophobia was undeniably present in the culture around me.

As a child and teenager, I do not recall knowingly meeting an openly gay, transgender, or queer person.

Of course, we know now that they were there.

They were living.

Working.

Dreaming.

Trying to be themselves.

Often without safety, visibility, or support.

I did not learn about the Stonewall uprising until much later in life as I sought to better understand the civil rights movements that ultimately paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act, the landmark civil rights legislation that transformed opportunities for people like me.

I did not learn about Marsha P. Johnson and other queer advocates  until adulthood.

Like so many others, I have spent much of my life learning the histories that were never fully taught.

And what those histories reveal is remarkably consistent.

Progress happens because ordinary people find extraordinary courage.

People decide that dignity matters.

People decide that exclusion is unacceptable.

People decide that future generations deserve better.

Whether we are talking about disability rights, LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, gender equity, religious freedom, or any other human rights movement, we are standing on the shoulders of brave people who chose to speak when silence would have been safer.

The Language of Respect Continues to Evolve

Recently I encountered a term that was new to me: affectional orientation.

Many people continue to use the term sexual orientation, and that remains widely accepted. Yet affectional orientation struck me as an interesting reminder that language evolves.

As our understanding grows, so does our vocabulary.

The goal is not perfection.

The goal is respect.

The goal is dignity.

The goal is seeing people as they wish to be seen.

Every generation contributes to that evolution.

And that is a beautiful thing.

Come Build With Us

The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion is for everyone who believes that human dignity matters.

It is for people who are tired of feeling isolated.

It is for people who want practical solutions.

It is for people who want community.

It is for people who want hope.

It is for people who understand that sustainable change happens when we work together.

On June 23, we invited you to help build the foundation through our GoFundMe campaign.

On August 3, we will open the doors.

And then the real work and the real magic begins.

To our LGBTQ+, queer, transgender, nonbinary, disability, racial justice, faith-based, immigrant, labor, and human rights neighbors:

We see you.

We honor those who came before you.

We celebrate the courage you bring to this moment.

And we invite you to help create what comes next.

The Coalition is for everybody.

Everybody!

Come on in.

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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Pride Month: Celebration and Remembrance

The month of June holds nothing short of fun and excitement. It’s a month where many of us finish up the school year, begin internships or jobs, enjoy the sunshine, and make new summer plans. Yet, June is also a month of both celebration and remembrance.

On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City, was raided by police. The result was several days of protests and resistance that became a turning point for the LGBTQ+ rights movement and later inspired what we now recognize as Pride Month.

Despite progress over the last 57 years, LGBTQ+ individuals continue to experience discrimination and inequality today.

This is particularly true for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, who continue to face disproportionate barriers to safety and higher rates of violence.

Juniper Blessing is one example. Juniper, born on September 22, 2007, in Princeton, New Jersey, was a 19-year-old transgender woman studying atmospheric science with minors in music and philosophy at the University of Washington in Seattle. She had dreams, plans, and many more years ahead of her until her life was tragically taken in a fatal stabbing on May 10, 2026, in the laundry room of Nordheim Court near the University of Washington campus. Do we know if this was a hate crime, a targeted attack, or just a crime of opportunity? The authorities have not publicly identified the attack as a hate crime.

As a recent graduate from the University of Washington, this story hits close to home. Many students on campus expressed fear, grief, and frustration. LGBTQ+ students were and still are outraged that murders such as this continue to happen. Are most people aware that there have been six confirmed murders of transgender people in the United States just in the first five months of 2026? Probably, most of us are not.

SAY HER NAME.

Juniper Blessing is more than a headline. She was remembered by friends, classmates, and loved ones as thoughtful, talented, and deeply cared for. Her life mattered, and LGBTQ+ lives matter.

Pride Month not only requires us to honor and acknowledge wonderful lives such as Juniper Blessing’s, but reminds us that every month should be spent honoring, celebrating, protecting, and remembering LGBTQ+ individuals—those who have passed and those who are still with us.

As stated, June is also a month of both celebration and remembrance, particularly through Pride parades and Pride Month. This continues to feel threatened, especially this year. As reported by AP News, multiple Republican governors have designated June with alternative names such as “Nuclear Family Month,” which supporters and critics alike have viewed as counterprogramming to Pride Month.

I have seen examples of this here in Washington as well, such as billboards in the town of Snohomish stating, “Happy Life Month”—highlighting the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the promotion of pro-life views.

June is set aside to celebrate Pride Month; however, this year has been particularly contentious.

Pride continues to be debated publicly and politically, but Pride itself remains rooted in visibility, celebration, and community.

A quote in an AP News article sums up the sentiments of the community, “As LGBTQIA+ events and symbols are being erased, it’s vital that our community have safe spaces to show up and march to make clear: We are here,” Chris Piedmont, a spokesperson for New York parade organizers Heritage of Pride, said in a statement Friday. “We will not be erased.” (June 29, 2026)

Happy Pride Month, and at the same time, be aware!

Source: “Parades in NYC and San Francisco Wrap Up LGBTQ+ Pride Month,” by Jennifer Peltz and David Fischer, AP News online, June 29, 2026: https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-pride-parades-new-york-san-francisco-c2301920c8f656a7ee231e49ff5a08a9

Maile Alexander is Social Media Intern for the Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion.

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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We Are Not Done. We Are Not Alone. We Are Just Getting Started.

There are moments in history when the ground doesn’t just shift—it cracks open.

Not quietly.
Not politely.

But with a force that demands something from you.

Not, “Is this working?”

But:
“What are you going to do about it?”

If you’ve been fighting for fairness, inclusion, human dignity—if you’ve been showing up day after day building workplaces and communities where everyone belongs—you feel it.

The pressure.
The pushback.
The attempt to wear you down.

Good.

Because that means you’re standing exactly where the work matters most.

And let’s get something straight:

You are not alone. And you are not done.

A Line Has Been Crossed — So We Draw One Back

The recent indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center is not just a headline.

It’s a signal.

For more than 50 years, this organization has tracked hate, exposed extremist violence, and worked alongside law enforcement to protect communities.

I’ve supported that work for years—with clear understanding.

Because real change has never been neat.
Never been comfortable.
Never been polite.

It has always required boldness. Strategy. Relentless action.

And now?
We’re watching that very work reframed as suspect.

No individuals named.
No clear harm demonstrated.

Just a cloud cast over those who dare to confront hate head-on.

Let’s call it what it is:

A warning shot.

This Is Bigger Than One Organization

Across the civil rights landscape, voices are rising:

“We are witnessing efforts to undermine these protections… and rewrite the meaning of civil rights.”

“Targeting civil rights groups leaves all Americans less safe.”

“This is not about accountability. It is about intimidation.”

Let that land.

Not accountability. Intimidation.

And intimidation only works if it silences us.

So here’s the question:

Will it?

No. Because We Refuse to Shrink

Yes, there’s fatigue.

Yes, there’s frustration.

Yes, there are moments when the weight of it all feels… heavy.

But let’s be crystal clear:

That heaviness?
That’s not the end.

That’s the spark before ignition.

Because movements don’t die from opposition.

They die when people decide to sit down instead of stand up.

And that’s not happening here.

Not now.
Not with us.

This Is Why We’re Building Something Bigger

We didn’t stumble into this moment.

We saw it coming.

And that’s why this summer, we are launching:

The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion

The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion will help members move from reactive, isolated survival mode to strategic, sustainable, collective power.

Read that again.

This is not a support group for surviving the storm.

This is where we learn to drive it.

This is infrastructure.
This is alignment.
This is power—built intentionally.

From Isolation to Collective Force

Too many people have been carrying this work alone.

One voice in the room.
One advocate in the system.
One leader trying to hold the line.

That ends now.

Inside this coalition, we are building:

• A community that doesn’t need translation—because we live this work
  • Tools that prove impact—so no one can question the value of inclusion
  • Strategies that move systems—even without formal authority
  • Conversations that are real, unfiltered, and forward-moving

And most importantly:

A place where your fire doesn’t fade. It spreads.

Founding Members: Step Into the Moment

When we open the doors this summer, we’re not looking for spectators.

We’re calling in builders.

Founding members are the ones who move before it’s comfortable.
Who step forward before it’s certain.

They shape the culture.
They set the standard.
They become the constellation—not the lone star.

We’ve chosen Circle as our platform—because we’re not building something static.

We’re building something alive.

And on June 23, we launch our GoFundMe campaign—because real community requires real investment.

Let Me Say This Without Softening It

If you are tired—good. It means you’ve been in the fight.

If you are frustrated—good. It means you see what’s at stake.

If you are questioning whether this work matters—

It matters more than ever.

Because this moment?

This is the test.

And we do not fail tests like this.

So Here’s the Truth

The forces pushing back against inclusion are:

Coordinated.
Strategic.
Relentless.

So we will be:

More coordinated.
More strategic.
More relentless.

Not reacting.

Designing.

Not isolated.

Connected.

Not surviving.

Building power.

Join Us

This summer, we begin.

Not cautiously.
Not quietly.

But together—and unmistakably.

Stay connected.
Follow the movement.

And when the doors open—

Step in.

Because the question is no longer:

Is this working?

The question is:

What are we building next—and who’s bold enough to build it with us?

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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Pride, Permission, and the Difference Between Being Seen and Feeling Safe

Why Pride Month still matters—and why “coming out” isn’t the whole story

A few years ago, someone asked me a question that has stayed with me ever since.

“Why don’t more people just come out?”

It wasn’t a hostile question. It was genuine curiosity. But it revealed something interesting.

The question assumes that coming out is simply a matter of courage.

Sometimes it is.

But often, it’s a matter of safety.

And those are not the same thing.

As Pride Month arrives this year, I’ve been thinking about how much the conversation around LGBTQ+ visibility has changed and how much it hasn’t.

In some places, rainbow logos appear every June. Companies host Pride events. Organizations publish statements of support. Progress has been made, and that’s worth celebrating.

At the same time, many LGBTQ+ people are looking at the current climate in the United States and wondering what comes next. Rights that once felt settled are being debated again. Schools, workplaces, healthcare systems, and communities are wrestling with questions that directly affect LGBTQ+ lives.

In moments like these, Pride can feel complicated.

It is both a celebration and a reminder. A celebration of how far we’ve come. A reminder that belonging is never something we can take for granted.

The Difference Between Being Seen and Feeling Safe

One of the most interesting findings I’ve come across recently came from research by Boston Consulting Group.

They surveyed more than 27,000 employees across 16 countries and found something powerful: people who felt free to be their authentic selves at work reported dramatically higher levels of inclusion, belonging, happiness, and engagement. They were also far less likely to leave their jobs.

That might sound obvious. Of course people do better when they can be themselves.

But what struck me wasn’t the finding itself.

It was the realization that authenticity isn’t something an organization can demand from people.

You can’t tell someone, “Be yourself.”

And then expect them to magically feel safe.

Safety comes first.

Trust comes first.

Belonging comes first.

Only then does authenticity become possible.

The study found that LGBTQ+ employees who were out to some of their coworkers were significantly more likely to feel they could be their authentic selves at work than those who were not out.

That’s not because being out automatically creates belonging.

It’s because belonging makes being out possible.

Maybe the Better Question Isn’t “Why Won’t They Come Out?”

Maybe the better question is:

“Have we created an environment where someone would want to?”

I came across a phrase that I like much more than “coming out.”

Inviting in.

Coming out places all the responsibility on the LGBTQ+ person.

Inviting in asks something of the community.

It asks:

Have we created enough trust? Have we shown enough care? Have we demonstrated that someone’s honesty will be met with respect instead of judgment?

Because for many LGBTQ+ people, there isn’t just one coming out. There are dozens. Sometimes hundreds.

Every situation involves a calculation that many people never have to make.

Is it safe? Will this change how they see me? Will this affect my opportunities? Will I still belong?

That calculation can be exhausting.

Which is why Pride has never been only about visibility.

It’s also about creating conditions where visibility isn’t dangerous.

What Allyship Actually Looks Like

One thing I appreciate about the work coming from Out & Equal is their reminder that allyship isn’t a label. It’s a practice. It isn’t something you become once and then check off a list. It’s something you do repeatedly through actions, choices, and everyday behavior.

Real allyship isn’t about having the perfect language or posting a rainbow once a year, but it’s about making sure people don’t have to carry the entire burden of belonging by themselves alone.

Sometimes that looks big like advocating for inclusive policies, supporting employee resource groups, challenging exclusion when it happens.

Sometimes it looks small like correcting yourself when you make a mistake, making room for someone’s perspective, refusing to laugh at a joke that comes at someone else’s expense.

The point isn’t perfection but PARTICIPATION..

Because belonging isn’t built through grand gestures alone.

It’s built through repetition, consistency, and showing people, over and over again, that they matter.

Queer Joy Is an Act of Resistance

Pride began as a protest, and that history still matters.

In a time when LGBTQ+ identities are once again being debated in legislatures, schools, workplaces, and communities, visibility can feel deeply personal. For some people, simply being seen is an act of courage.

That’s why I keep coming back to the idea that queer joy is more than celebration. It is resistance.

Not because LGBTQ+ people owe anyone a statement simply by existing, but because there is power in refusing to disappear. There is power in building a life that is full, visible, and authentic when others would prefer you stay quiet, stay hidden, or stay small.

We often talk about the challenges facing LGBTQ+ communities—and those challenges are real. But queer lives are not defined only by struggle. They are also defined by friendship, creativity, humor, love, family, achievement, community, and joy.

That matters.

Joy pushes back against the idea that LGBTQ+ people should only be seen through the lens of hardship. It reminds us that LGBTQ+ people are not just surviving. They are creating, contributing, leading, loving, celebrating, and building lives worth celebrating.

In that way, joy becomes its own form of resilience.

It helps people keep going when the headlines feel heavy. It creates space for hope when uncertainty creeps in. It reminds us that belonging is not something we have to wait for before we can experience happiness.

At the same time, Pride is not a one-size-fits-all experience.

For some people, Pride means being fully out and openly celebrated by the people around them. For others, the decision to share their identity still comes with real risks. Family dynamics, workplace environments, financial realities, cultural expectations, and personal safety all shape those decisions.

That is why I think about Pride not only in terms of coming out, but also in terms of being invited in.

Being invited into workplaces where people do not have to hide important parts of themselves. Being invited into communities where respect is not conditional. Being invited into conversations where people are treated with dignity, regardless of who they are or who they love.

The goal is not to pressure people into visibility. The goal is to create environments where visibility feels safe.

And until that day comes for everyone, we can continue building spaces where people know they are valued, respected, and welcome exactly as they are.

So if you’re out, we celebrate you.

If you’re still figuring things out, we celebrate you.

If you’re not in a place where being visible feels safe yet, we see you.

Because belonging is not something you earn once you’ve explained yourself.

Belonging is not something granted after you’ve proven you’re worthy.

Belonging is your birthright.

And no law, policy, headline, or opinion can take away what has always been true:

You were never asking for permission to exist.

You already do.

Happy Pride. 🌈

References

Boston Consulting Group. (2023). Inclusion Isn’t Just Nice. It’s Necessary: How a survey quantifying the responses of more than 27,000 employees proves the business value of inclusion. Boston Consulting Group.

Out & Equal. (2026). Authentic Allyship. Out & Equal Workplace Advocates.

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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May is Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage Month, also known as AAPI month, when the United States celebrates the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) have played in our shared history. 

ISDI would like to shine a spotlight on the notable achievements of two members of these communities. These individuals have not only touched the lives of those in their communities, but they have also done much to uplift them.

Jason Namakaeha Momoa

Jason Namakaeha Momoa, most commonly known for portraying Aquaman, was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He began his acting career in 1999, where he starred in Baywatch: Hawaii. Despite his wonderful contributions to Hollywood, he has also remained deeply connected to his culture and has shown himself to be actively committed to protecting his homeland. 

When Jason Momoa isn’t acting, he’s often performing the traditional Haka, a ceremonial dance that holds deep connections to Polynesian culture and is associated with Māori traditions. The Haka is said to be very sacred to him because his father taught him the dance at a very young age. He is also known for advocating for sacred land such as Mauna Kea. In 2014, there were plans for a thirty-meter telescope to be built on top of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. However, after protests from Native Hawaiians because the construction threatened the mountain’s cultural significance, construction was halted and delayed. 

Additionally, Momoa works with the United Nations, where he advocates for safer waters and healthier lands. Through organizations such as Ocean Unite, Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, etc., he fights for the protection of coral reefs, the decrease of pollution and waste in oceans, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Mr. Momoa has played a significant role in protecting this planet and the lands he not only calls home, but many others do as well. 

Kiyoshi Kuromiya

Kiyoshi Kuromiya was born in 1943 at the World War II Japanese Internment Camp—Heart Mountain Relocation Center. Kuromiya spent his life focusing on anti-war policies, civil rights, and gay liberation movements. He was very involved in community outreach and had attended numerous protests by influential figures such as Martin Luther King Jr and his historic March on Washington. 

Kuromiya himself identified with the LGBTQ+ community, therefore advocacy for this group hit close to home. In 1969, he founded the Gay Liberation Front–Philadelphia. At the same time, he used his identity as both a person of color and an openly gay man to serve as a delegate for the Black Panther Party’s Revolutionary People’s Constitutional Convention. 

The AIDS epidemic was nothing short of devastating. During this time, the LGBTQ+ community was being heavily impacted and represented in an extremely negative light. In response, Kiyoshi Kuromiya founded the Critical Path project, which helped provide HIV treatment to those affected. The treatment involved information resources, a 24-hour hotline, and an internet service to those affected worldwide. Sadly, in the year 2000,  Kuromiya died from complications from AIDS. Yet his contributions to society have not gone unnoticed, and we thank him for his dedication to advocacy. 

Asian American and Pacific Islander Month is the month where we honor those who culturally and ethnically identify with these communities, as well as the various contributions they have made. 

Happy AAPI month! 

Works Cited: 

Caruso, Catherine, and Ale Russian. 15 influential AAPI figures to make history – AAPI heritage month, April 28, 2026. 

Gupta, Maya. “Jason Momoa: Career, Cultural Advocacy, and Environmental Activism.” Trendkut, March 23, 2026. 

Reilly, Kaitlin. “Jason Momoa’s Haka Is Going to Take over the Internet.” Jason Momoa Aquaman Haka Dance Has Meaning Behind It, December 13, 2018. https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/12/219449/what-is-haka-dance-jason-momoa-aquaman. 

Maile Alexander is the social media intern for ISDI. 

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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Diversity Has Arrived in Our Urban Centers—Yielding a Power the Federal Government Is Desperate to Contain
The Future is Urban. The Power is Diverse.

What is being called a culture war is really a power struggle. And the numbers—from city halls to statehouses to GDP reports—make clear who is winning. Which is exactly why the assault has begun.

OPINION · SHIFTING POWER · ECONOMIC ARGUMENT ·Drawing on current U.S. demographic, political, and economic research

The Numbers Don’t Lie—And That’s the Problem

Before we can understand why urban centers are under coordinated federal attack, we have to understand what those urban centers have actually become. Not in theory. In fact. In the census data. In the election returns. In the names on the doors of city halls, statehouses, and Senate offices from Atlanta to Albuquerque.

The United States is no longer the country some in Washington are governing as if it still is. Nearly 86% of Americans now live inside metropolitan systems—interconnected urban and suburban ecosystems that are multiracial, multilingual, multigenerational, and globally connected. Within those systems, the demographic transformation is not approaching. It has arrived.

THE DEMOGRAPHIC REALITY — CITY BY CITY

Houston, the fourth-largest city in America, is now 44% Hispanic, 23% Black, and 7% Asian. White non-Hispanic residents comprise roughly 24% of the population.

Miami is approximately 70% Hispanic or Latino. Los Angeles is 49% Hispanic and 29% white non-Hispanic. Dallas is 42% Hispanic and 24% Black. Atlanta is over 51% Black. Chicago is 33% Hispanic and 30% Black. In New York City—the financial capital of the world—white non-Hispanic residents account forroughly 30% of the population

These are not projections. These are the people who are already there. Already working. Already voting. Already governing.

The suburbs—long imagined as a white cultural counterweight to urban diversity—have undergone their own transformation. Suburban counties surrounding Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, and Seattle now contain large and growing immigrant populations, expanding Black middle-class communities, multiracial households, and multilingual school systems. The old binary of urban diversity versus suburban whiteness is a demographic ghost story.

The Shifting Power—From Population to City Hall

Demographic change has now fully converted into political power. The people have not just arrived. They have organized. They have voted. They have run. And they have won.

POWER SHIFT — MAYORS GOVERNING MAJOR U.S. CITIES

Karen Bass, a Black woman, governs Los Angeles—the second-largest city in the United States and the entertainment capital of the world. Brandon Johnson, a Black progressive, leads Chicago. LaToya Cantrell, a Black woman, runs New Orleans. Muriel Bowser governs the nation’s capital. Michelle Wu—the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants—is the mayor of Boston.

Andre Dickens leads Atlanta. London Breed, a Black woman who grew up in public housing, ran San Francisco. These are not symbolic appointments. These are governing executives managing billions in public budgets, negotiating with federal agencies, and setting policy for millions of people

The State-Level Power Shift—Governors, Senators, and the New Map

The power shift is not confined to city halls. It has moved upstream—into statehouses, Senate chambers, and the emerging class of national leaders who are rewriting what American political leadership looks and sounds like.

Wes Moore of Maryland became the first Black governor in his state’s history—and only the third ever elected in U.S. history—when he took office in 2023. His administration has appointed a cabinet in which more than 50% of members are women and 50% are people of color.

When the Trump administration threatened to deploy the National Guard to Baltimore and called the city a “hellhole,” it was Governor Moore—a Black Army combat veteran—who publicly challenged the characterization and invited the president for a public safety walk. That is not a symbolic act. That is a governor governing.

POWER SHIFT — STATEHOUSES AND THE SENATE FLOOR

Raphael Warnock of Georgia—the first Black senator ever elected from that state—holds a seat that not long ago defined the old order of Southern Democratic politics. His 2020 election, alongside Jon Ossoff, flipped the Senate and delivered the Biden administration its governing majority. That happened in Georgia.

Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada became the first Latina ever elected to the U.S. Senate. Michelle Lujan Grisham governs New Mexico. Alex Padilla became the first Latino Senator from California. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii is the first Asian American woman and first Buddhist to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Tammy Duckworth—a Thai American Iraq War veteran who lost both legs in combat—sits in the United States Senate. In the 119th Congress, 28% of House members are Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American—a record. More than 84% of those members are Democrats.

In the 119th Congress, 28% of House members are Black, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American—a record. More than 84% of those members are Democrats.

These are not isolated breakthroughs. They are a pattern. A pipeline. A political infrastructure built, election cycle by election cycle, from school boards to statehouses to the Senate floor—and it is accelerating, not slowing down.

“The shift isn’t coming. It came. The question Washington is now scrambling to answer is: what do you do when the people you spent decades marginalizing are now running the institutions?”

The Economic Argument—Follow the Money

For anyone who wants to reduce the attack on urban centers to a political or cultural argument, here is an economic one that is harder to dismiss: attacking metropolitan America is an act of economic self-destruction. Because metropolitan America is not just where diverse populations live. It is where the American economy actually runs.

According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ 2025 Metro Economies Report—prepared by S&P Global Market Intelligence—metro areas accounted for 90.8% of national GDP, 92.1% of all wages and salaries, and 88.2% of all employment in the United States in 2024. The contribution of metro economies to U.S. economic growth has increased for five consecutive years.

THE METRO ECONOMY — WHAT’S ACTUALLY AT STAKE

The New York metropolitan area alone generated $2.44 trillion in GDP in 2024—making it, if it were a nation, the eighth-largest economy on earth, larger than Canada’s entire economy. Los Angeles produced $1.35  trillion. Chicago generated $923 billion. The San Francisco Bay Area— home to the global technology industry—produced $801 billion. Dallas Fort Worth generated $800 billion. Houston $757 billion. Washington D.C. $749 billion.

Those seven metropolitan areas alone—all majority-minority or rapidly diversifying—generated more than $7.8 trillion in annual economic output. For reference, the entire GDP of Germany, the world’s third largest economy, is roughly $4.5 trillion.

GDP by Metro Area vs. Demographic Makeup (2024 Data)

Consider what that means. The federal government is waging a systematic campaign of defunding, intimidation, and destabilization against the exact metropolitan ecosystems that generate nearly the entirety of the nation’s economic output. It is targeting the cities where the workforce lives, where innovation is produced, where taxes are collected, where ports operate, where hospitals run, and where universities educate the next labor force.

The brutal irony: you cannot hurt these cities without hurting the economy that funds the federal government itself. The tax base of metropolitan America is the tax base of the United States. There is no separating the two.

Why Urban Centers Are the Real Target

Strip away the rhetoric about “merit,” “colorblindness,” and “anti-wokeness,” and the underlying fear becomes visible: the fear that Black and Brown Americans, having arrived in numbers that now constitute governing majorities in metropolitan America, will use institutional power the same way every other majority has historically used it—to
shape policy, culture, and opportunity in ways that reflect their interests and values.

EVERY TARGET IS THE SAME TARGET

Defund the cities—destabilize the institutions where new power is most concentrated. Attack the mayors—force diverse governing coalitions into defensive postures rather than transformative ones. Gut the school boards—slow the formation of the next generation of civically engaged, pluralist leaders. Strip DEI—signal to corporate America, higher education, and hospitals that alignment with metropolitan demographic reality carries a federal penalty.

It is a strategy of attrition against an irreversible demographic and economic reality. And it will fail. Not because of idealism. Because of arithmetic. You cannot govern 91% of the nation’s GDP out of existence with an executive order.

The Youngest Americans Have Already Decided

In dozens of major metropolitan school systems, there is no racial majority. The children in classrooms in Houston, Dallas, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Phoenix, and New York City are already living the pluralistic America that some in Washington claim is a radical imposition. For them, it is simply Tuesday. It is their neighborhood, their
lunch table, their team, their family.

Hispanic Americans have added roughly 20 million people over the last two decades. The multiracial population nearly doubled between 2010 and 2020 to more than 33 million people. In 2020, for the first time in American history, the non-Hispanic white population declined in absolute numbers. Not as a share. In total count. The demographic transition is not theoretical. It is already in the rearview mirror.

Diversity has arrived in our urban centers. It is running them—from city halls to statehouses to Senate chambers to the boardrooms that generate 91% of the nation’s GDP.

No federal offensive, however legally armored or politically coordinated, can relocate 86% of the American population, unelect the governors and mayors already governing, un-enroll the generation already in school, or undo the economic architecture already written into the GDP data. The only question that remains—the one America will spend the next generation answering—is whether its governing architecture will be honest enough to reflect the nation that already exists.

Or whether it will exhaust itself trying to contain the one it can no longer pretend doesn’t.

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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