2020: Diversity and Cultural Inclusion Committee

The 2020 Award for Diversity and Inclusion goes to the Junior League of Baton Rouge.

JLBR established a Diversity and Cultural Inclusion (DCI) Committee in 2009. A coordinated effort created a diverse group of women who worked with a management consultant specializing in diversity training. Successes included implementing a Strategic Plan introducing cultural competence training designed with interactive exercises. All members participated including our Board, Executive Management, and Community Advisory Board.

The impact of their 2010 Strategic Plan equipped JLBR to respond to a precipitating event in their community. In 2016 Baton Rouge experienced a racially charged community tragedy. The death of Alton Sterling escalated conversations related to systemic racism, disparity in education, and generational poverty. Weakened community relationships highlighted the need for criminal justice reform, strained communication and trust of law enforcement, and the need to expand social services in vulnerable communities. JLBR’s response was the establishment of a Diversity Summit where diverse stakeholders collaborated to expand the conversation in government, law enforcement, faith based entities, nonprofits, and industry. JLBR members advocated for criminal justice reform and served as an advisor to City Parish Leadership to support sensitivity and de-escalation training. DCI continues to catalyze community leaders in collaborative conversations leading member acknowledgment of racial tensions in communities, systemic issues that foster poverty, and importance of their work to mitigate the repercussions that affect their community. DCI launched an additional layer of community support by partnering with Woman’s Hospital to offer Poverty Simulation Training which serves to educate providers, members, nonprofits, governmental entities, and community leaders in a simulated exercise with authentic examples of experiences of vulnerable families.

Junior League of Baton Rouge’s Diversity and Cultural Inclusion Committee managed the following goals:

1. Interweave the missions to foster quality cultural competence programming
2. Expand the demographic of the members in the League to reflect our community and to create cultural awareness
3. Align the grant awards with nonprofits whose mission coordinates with our mission and whose work impact the overarching needs in our community
4. Select a leadership team including Board and Executive Management that is truly representative of our membership’s ethnicity, educational attainment, socioeconomic status, community engagement, age, and diversity in personal/professional network
5. Review polices, procedures, and practices to align with our missions and maintain quantitative metrics to foster successful integration

The DCI Committee was created with the goal of increasing membership’s skills in cultural competence. The first introduction to the DCI initiative took place at area meetings held in August 2009. The goals of the initiative was to educate our members and to formalize DCI as a placement. This was achieved by providing presentations at area meetings, General Membership Meetings, and in Training Sessions. We continue periodic presentations and inclusive discussions that foster open dialogue around diverse perspectives.

As the League continued to broaden it’s membership to include recruitment of minorities and diverse community leaders, our trainings expanded to facilitate comprehensive conversations with topics related to systemic issues in our community. A precipitous event in our community led to racial tensions in 2016. The death of a minority male who had a history of convictions and limited resources was killed by Caucasian police officers. The community was divided by an imaginary North and South line. JLBR recognized the need to broaden its training from an internal purview to an external focus. This led to an opportunity to explore organizations focused on providing support to increase awareness of cultural sensitivities. Collaborative conversations with community stakeholders allowed for the creation of the Community Diversity Summit. JLBR worked with City Parish and State government officials to coordinate human capital to facilitate conversations with stakeholders related to systemic racism, the dynamics of poverty, and challenges in our education system as a causative measure leading to a disproportionate number of minority males in the criminal justice system. DCI partnered with law enforcement and social service agencies to discuss criminal justice reform and community policing to build trust with citizens in Baton Rouge. Forum 35, a young professionals service organization agreed to attend the event and fostered opportunities for crucial conversations among its members. Together Baton Rouge is a nonprofit organization comprised of faith based organizations and concerned citizens. A coordinated approach with their members fostered community meetings throughout the city to unite law enforcement with the citizens in their communities. As citizens rebuilt relationships with law enforcement, communication lines were fluid and both united to monitor blight in the community and to report suspicious activity. Minority communities dialogue with authorities to solve crimes and to identify threats. Internal process within the League allowed from facilitated discussions about frames of reference and experiences that perpetuate personal bias. Members are able to communicate with each other and those we serve with cultural competence and without bias. Service projects are more inclusive related to venue and presentation. Grants have a broader scope to address diverse populations and organizations who mitigate systemic issues. The practices, policies, and procedures are monitored to ensure a frame of diversity, inclusion, and equity shape the planning and execution of all processes. JLBR expanded training to include a Poverty Simulation that is offered to its members and to the community. Cultural competence excursions and events are offered such as plantation tours and discussions about criminal justice reform.

Outcomes and Impacts include the following:

• Membership expanded to reflect the demographics of the community with an 80% increase in minority membership. JLBR membership is 51% Caucasian and 49% minority including 2% Asian.
• Diversity in JLBR leadership teams grew to include 33% minority members on Executive Management and 50% minority members on Board.
• Four members were selected to lead conversations related to disparity in education. New Schools for Baton Rouge Change Makers program provides a platform for community leaders to collaborate for change. Three new charter schools have launched in vulnerable communities.
• Just under 500,000 diapers have been distributed to agencies to support families in poverty
• Twenty playgrounds were painted to include games/ activities to foster interactive play and enhanced quality of place in schools impacting more than 7500 students in 4 districts of the parish school system with 90% free and reduced lunch population. Four of the schools had 100% free and reduced lunch students
• Ten percent of JLBR membership have participated in the poverty simulation training and fifteen members serve as facilitators
• 225 community leaders, JLBR members, and stakeholders have participated in DCI’s Community Diversity Summit. JLBR partnered with law enforcement, City Parish government, Together Baton Rouge, and Forum 35 to broaden the conversation. Law enforcement has a 60% increase in their community relations survey and the Chief of Police speaks at 4 events per year to offer a State of the City update promoting transparency in their city.
• 15% of JLBR members have participated in the Chamber’s Greater Baton Rouge Leadership Program where all aspects of community, government, education, healthcare, economic development, and quality of life issues are presented. This additional training promotes awareness of disparities in the community and the leadership who work to transform and generate success.