Racial Justice Strategic Plan: Spring 2021 Update

Dear Friends,

As the George Floyd trial continues on this week, the crucial need for racial justice in our nation and in our communities could not be more clear. At Girls Write Now, we deeply mourn the lives lost and compromised daily due to the root causes of racism and racial violence—and we listen, learn and model action that equips and supports the next generation. 

We are writing now to share an update on Girls Write Now’s racial justice strategic plan mounted six months ago—a comprehensive, multi-year investment involving stakeholders across and around the community to explore all aspects of the organization, to educate, to open new lines of communication—and to enact change as we strive to be an anti-racist institution. Our plan is grounded in our mission and 23 year-long history of breaking down the barriers of race and poverty to elevate the voices of girls and gender-expansive youth who are too often not heard—or worse, silenced. 

Our strategic planning is iterative, and we will make modifications and course-corrections as we go. With this plan, we will be positioned to respond more quickly and effectively to current events, but also to create a stronger foundation for more proactive and more frequent discussion and action around racial justice.

In the early stages of our plan, we devised a framework, incorporated feedback from key stakeholders, created a core cross-sectional team to help guide the overall process, and reimagined and expanded our Diversity Committee. We also reinforced DEI HR best practices, including hiring a recruiter to increase diverse networks and candidates for new roles.

We deepened and more directly expressed racial justice through our curriculum, literature, speakers and activities (for example, our Community Chats & Wellness Wednesdays, Writing 360 Workshops, Friday Night Salon Series, and Girls Write Now Live Series). And we proudly featured resources, readings, original writing, and events to celebrate Black History Month, as well as Women’s History Month, and the Asian American Pacific Islanders Community.

In January through March, we worked with racial justice experts both to deepen our mentor training for 150 mentors in the Writing 360 Program, and for a series of organization-wide foundational trainings. We want to thank the nearly 100 Mentors, Alum, Staff and Board members who participated in these full-day events led by the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. We subscribe to the People’s Institute’s principles for an effective, broad-based movement for social transformation, which will guide our entire strategic planning process: Analyzing Power, Developing Leadership, Gatekeeping, Identifying and Analyzing Manifestations of Racism, Learning from History, Maintaining Accountability, Sharing Culture, Undoing Internalized Racial Oppression—and Undoing Racism. 

A few key items and next steps for our larger community:

• We encourage you to consult this list of selected anti-racist resources compiled by the People’s Institute
  Stay tuned for our new community-driven book club to discuss readings from this list and beyond!
• We hope you will come out to see the community action at Girls Write Now Live Unmuted: Our Truth. Out Loud. Fridays this spring! When our young writers share their stories, they have the power to change minds, heal communities, and impact the world. Please join us in listening.
• Please register for a new series of racial justice-focused Community Chats with guest artists/experts on Thursdays this spring, 6-7PM: April 22 , May 20, and June 10

Over the next three to five months, Girls Write Now’s Diversity Committee will be launching full force into an enrollment initiative, offering insight and feedback on our mentor/mentee enrollment practices at all stages (Stage I: Marketing & Recruitment: Assets, Networks & Outreach; Stage II: Applicant Review, Interviews & Assessment; Stage III: Onboarding, Training/Orientation, Matching & Podding). Our goal is to limit barriers candidates may face in accessing our programs, and to help us devise new strategies to attract and retain mentors and mentees of color. This enrollment work done through a racial equity and anti-bias lens will have a significant impact on the entire program year.

From June through December 2021, we are planning ongoing professional development and leadership trainings and deep-dive organizational transformational work focusing on our values, vision, and operational practices and policies to help create a diverse composition of leaders and stakeholders and a culture to support that diverse talent.

More on Girls Write Now’s Racial Justice Strategic Planning Process.

We look forward to staying in touch and to working closely with you to create and sustain the inclusive, equitable, and diverse organization we seek. If you have questions or would like to discuss anything, please feel free to reach out.

In peace and solidarity,
The Girls Write Now Team