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JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
Maryland Nonprofits has an intentional commitment to truth-telling and ongoing education about the history and legacies of colonization, slavery, Jim Crow, and systemic discrimination in Maryland and the U.S. We commit assets and dedicate programming to building cross-sector trust and alignment as we raise the truth, heal, and repair past and current injustices.
We acknowledge that structural racism pervades the private and public sectors. We intentionally partner with Black and Brown leaders to advance racial justice and equity initiatives. We are also working to apply reforms to our own organization as we live into a visionary future.
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For the nonprofit sector to be successful in building upward mobility and closing the racial wealth gap, our collective work must be community-led and community-accountable.
In 2021, Maryland Nonprofits continued surveying and reporting the needs of nonprofit executives of color, advocating for electing executives of color to serve on local and state commissions. We lobbied and steered resources to communities that are normally underfunded, including increasing vaccine accessibility in Black, Latino, and low-income communities.
We stood for democracy and denounced white nationalism in condemning the violent breach of the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021. Our annual conference centered on racial equity, creating space for nonprofit leaders of color to challenge norms, teach leadership lessons, and gather momentum for social change within and led by the nonprofit sector.
In 2022, our work will further center the experiences of marginalized groups, which have historically been hidden or dismissed. Our own operations will continue to adapt, to remain respectful, relevant, and representative of the diverse communities that Maryland Nonprofits serves.