DEI + Belonging
There is Power in Our Differences.
The vision of Leadership Long Beach cannot be fully realized unless it is approached with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as our foundation. To connect and meaningfully serve Long Beach, we must acknowledge inequities and create opportunities for future leaders to thrive, belong, and create systemic change.
Change is hard. It takes courage.
Trust the process.
DEI+B PROJECTS
Implementation of DEIB
While diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) has always been an important part of Leadership Long Beach (LLB), it has not been directly reflected in our mission, vision, and principles. As such, we are looking to our alumni, stakeholders, and community members to lend their voices as we work to revise our mission, vision, and principles to more directly express the commitment of LLB to DEIB foundational principles.
Crafted the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee Charter with mission, scope, and responsibilities (you may view the charter here: DEI+B Committee Charter)
Wrote and revised the Leadership Long Beach Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Pledge that was approved by the board is and read before each meeting and event held by Leadership Long Beach
Constructed the first ever Leadership Long Beach DEI+B Strategic Plan
Mapped out six focus areas (Institutional Commitments, Strategies for Inclusive Leadership, Increasing Belonging, Programmatic Implementation, External Outreach and Advocacy, and Financial) with 42 recommendations across the six areas of focus
Designed a comprehensive DEI+B training plan consisting of 3 segments covering 17 DEI+B concepts
Held space for alumni to share their experiences with belonging and feeling excluded within the Leader Long Beach organization called Reflections on Belonging that informed the work ahead
Birthed Courageous Conversations Series on 2021’s MLK Day of Service providing the community space for discussion bias, racism, and pain after the murder of George Floyd and the Racial Reckoning
Designed a framework allowing greater access and flexibility for alumni, community members, and stakeholders to participate in meaningful projects within areas of their interest without annual commitments to committees
Created a Facilitation Training infused with DEI+B to provide greater access to alumni who would like to participate as Day Chairs, Retreat Team Members, Foundations Retreat Team Members, or as Youth Chairs
Created a resource for Day Chairs to utilize to support them in centering DEI+B within their respective class days
Developed and implemented Leadership Long Beach’s first DEI+B Equity Day on October 3rd, 2022 as part of The Institute program
Established a section in the monthly newsletter, The DEI+Brief, dedicated to DEI+B featuring the diverse voices of our alumni, prominent observances, and sharing of DEI+B work and opportunities
Created, reviewed, and made recommendations regarding internal and external policies with a DEI+B lens
Drafted the DEI+B webpage for developer construction to include places for ideas, concerns, and a call to allyship and abolition of inequity across all areas
Community Input
We are currently seeking a diverse group of community members and stakeholders to help us update our organization’s Mission, Vision, and Principles to reflect our commitment to DEIB.