Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

June 2021 - Published in: 2020 Annual Report - Amidst a devastating global pandemic, calls for an end to systemic racism rang loud in 2020 following repeated high-profile cases of racial violence. Main Street Community Foundation joined the collective outcry and released a Message to the Community re-affirming our commitment to stand against racial injustice.

We set a goal to become educated as an organization in order to deliver on our promise to do better when we know better. We promised to listen first and then take deliberate action to raise awareness around racial and social justice issues and strengthen our practices utilizing a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) lens. As part of these efforts, a DEI subcommittee comprised of MSCF board and staff members was formed with the purpose of developing a plan of action that would lead to a more culturally competent organization.

Leveraging Equity and Diversity, a group committed to teaching leaders how to center equity in the workplace, was chosen to develop a dynamic interactive DEI workshop series, which was offered to MSCF board and staff in October of 2020. The workshops provided a safe space for each participant to learn about what it means to be an anti-racist and how to apply these concepts in their work with the Foundation. Margi Fletcher, MSCF’s Board Chair, said, “We learned so much from our time with the team at Leveraging Equity and Diversity. We will continue to build upon the knowledge and skills we gained to continue our work through a newly focused DEI lens.”

Looking forward to 2021, MSCF has invited Debby Irving, a renowned social justice educator and author of Waking Up White, to engage in a virtual conversation with MSCF Board, staff and volunteers. Susan Sadecki, MSCF’s President & CEO, said “It is our hope that by creating opportunities for these kinds of community conversations, we will all grow together in understanding, empathy and a willingness to do what it takes to create lasting change.”