We are in a time of an overdue awakening. Tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rashard Brooks, and other Black Americans has roused us from complacency. As an organization, we’ve been listening, learning, and engaging in deep reflection as to how Generator will make profound and lasting change that honors and respects Black lives and addresses racism in our communities.
To this end, we are: 1) making racial and social justice a central component of our strategic planning process scheduled to start this fiscal year. 2) providing on-going diversity, equity, and inclusion training for Generator staff, volunteers, instructors, mentors, and board members; 3) launching a BIPOC Scholarship Fund to explicitly provide Black, Indigenous, People of Color access to tools, programs, and services at Generator; 4) establishing an advisory committee dedicated to a transparent process of moving Generator forward with the critical work to counter racism and ensure equal access to opportunities in the sciences, technology, engineering, and arts.
We recognize these actions as the first of many steps our organization will take to be greater advocates and to better serve our members, partners, and community at large. When we make mistakes we will acknowledge them, learn from them, and continue forward with our commitment to change. To this end, we invite your thoughts, questions, and comments.
Standing in solidarity and working to make change,
Meg Hammond, on behalf of the Generator staff & board
