By Dr. Kirk Adams
Executive Director, The Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion
https://i4sdi.org
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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