Blog

Networks are not inherently more equitable or democratic. They operate within the same dominant white supremacist culture that undermines equity in our organizations. Besides talking about culture, power and equity a lot, we wanted to share three practices which we have implemented to better distribute leadership and decision making to create more equity in our networks. They are early experiments, and we would love to hear about what you are doing in your networks.

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LLC WEBINAR | Scaffolding for System Shifting Networks

Presented by June Holley and Yasmin Yonis

November 4, 2019 | 11:00 - 12:30 PST / 2:00 - 3:30 EST

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The current political moment is increasingly fraught; exposing deep fractures in our society. While the roots of these fissures are old and embedded in the fabric of our country, the expression of these fractures feels quite new. Consequently, communities of color, queer and trans communities, as well as immigrant and other marginalized communities, are experiencing a growing sense of vulnerability; unsure of what new dangers exist on the horizon. While the changing times present new risks, it’s also a time of immense possibility. We hope to use this moment to strategize with one another and create new opportunities for transformative change.  

LLC will be hosting three regional Creating Space Conversations in Fall 2019 which will delve into this topic (Detroit, NYC, Bay Area, CA). We will explore the role leadership development can play in shifting power to advance justice and ushering in new innovative models that are responsive to changing conditions. We will also dedicate time to thinking about ways of structuring our leadership development work so that we are moving away from business as usual practices given that we are living in times that are in fact very unusual. 

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On Sunday, I hosted a reunion brunch with a handful of folks who had participated in a program called “What’s Next.”  It’s a program for EDs, and as the name suggests, it’s for EDs who think that they may want to leave their organization in the next 5 years to help them think about managing that transition. I participated in What’s Next  for a number of reasons: I did imagine leaving LLC within 5 years, not necessarily because I am done with leadership work or really going to retire, but because I know that LLC needs to be led by people of color to solidly center equity in the field; I also wondered if I might be able to inject a point of view that the transition of leadership provides an opportunity to bring an equity lens to diversifying leadership of the non-profit section (and I tried); and truth be told, it was being held at Chaminade with gorgeous views of the pacific and yummy food. 

The program provided some interesting materials on transitions that were both philosophical and practical. I know that folks in more traditional organizations found the materials useful. One of the folks at our brunch mentioned that he has shared them with his board and staff. There was a lot of talk about ‘when’ and ‘how’ you tell your board, your staff, and your community. I found myself feeling especially grateful to be part of an organization like LLC where we are able to have transparent conversations about leadership and who needs to be leading.

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