As we near the end of 2018 and reflect on a very full year, I wanted to share a thought that I hope will carry you through the winter holidays and into the new year.
Back in September, at the Southern California Grantmakers conference, speaker john a. powell (Director, Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society) spoke at great length about “Othering,” or what he defined as THE problem of the 21st Century. The intervention that combats Othering, he said, was Belonging. This resonated deeply with me, and has taken my thinking around diversity and inclusion to a new level.
We all long for a sense of belonging: familiarity, acceptance, and welcome. There is comfort and safety in knowing that you and your loved ones belong in your “tribe.” For my children, I hope this sense of belonging translates into the type of love and fearlessness that will move the world eventually.
In some sense, this is also what we strive for in the social sector—that those we serve would belong and thrive in their communities. From helping a child with a disability access therapeutic services, to developing the symbiotic connection between humans and our natural environment, to geeking out on how to institutionalize organizational capacity being built, Blue Garnet’s client work would not succeed without a “belonging,” of sorts, between us and our client partners.
Here at Blue Garnet, our network of relationships reflect a range of our intrinsic passions and “learner” interests. As a result, we belong to multiple “tribes,” or communities, so to speak. Whether it’s building an inclusive B-Corps community in Los Angeles, learning with NNCG’s popular DEI series, communing with our charter school peeps at ExEd, or contributing to the SCG evaluation and learning group, we are grateful to belong to diverse and intersecting communities of change makers.
My Swedish-American teammate Sofia tells me that the Swedish word for belong, “hör hemma,” has the root word “home.” In this holiday season, we hope that you “hör hemma” at home with your loved ones. Remember: we are all in this together—change, renewal, impact, justice. Let’s continue to strive for Belonging in 2019!
Happy holidays from all of us at Blue Garnet!
Way-Ting