Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING AWARD

The AJLI DEIB Award recognizes Junior Leagues that have developed innovative strategies and practices toward fulfillment of The Junior League’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). This award honors Leagues that have taken meaningful strides toward building DEIB within their League and, through those efforts, are improving the League as a whole. This work can be event based or based on a training offered to the League’s membership.

The Junior League of Washington, DC

2024: DEIAB

The Junior League of Washington, DC

Prior to the 2022-2023 League year, while always emphasizing DEIB principles, they had not directly focused on each principle individually. To address this gap, The Junior League of Washington, JLW, worked with an outside consultant to assess the organization. As a result of their work with League members, JLW decided to expand DEIB to DEIAB, adding “Accessibility” as a core focus. These principles are now deeply integrated into their organizational structure and long-term strategic plan.  JLW has introduced quarterly town hall meetings for members to engage with the Board of Directors, fostering an environment of open dialogue. They have also enhanced food accessibility by intentionally diversifying menu options at League events and committee meetings to accommodate various dietary needs and food allergies.

They established a DEIAB task force to continuously assess our efforts and promote a culture where members feel empowered to share areas where we can improve. This feedback also informs their evaluations of community partners and their DEIAB practices. In addition to targeted DEIAB training for JLW leaders, they continue to invest in ongoing training and other resources for all members to ensure our work is sustained. During a recent renovation of their headquarters, they expanded doorways and space for easier wheelchair access to our elevator and installed automatic swing door openers at our entrance. 

Their weekly member newsletter, League Lines, regularly includes a DEIAB Moments section, providing detailed knowledge and understanding on topics such as cultural holidays and tips for identifying and addressing DEIAB needs of members. These ongoing initiatives and efforts have made a significant impact in advancing DEIAB principles throughout JLW and the community. It signifies a shift towards proactive, intentional, and inclusive practices that are now ingrained in their organizational culture and future planning. Congratulations to the Junior League of Washington! 

The Junior League of Columbus, OH

The Junior League of El Paso, TX

Junior League of Fort Smith, AR

Junior League of Baton Rouge, LA

2020: Diversity and Cultural Inclusion Committee

Junior League of Baton Rouge, LA

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:

Interweave the missions to foster quality cultural competence programming
Expand the demographic of the members in the League to reflect our community and to create cultural awareness
Align the grant awards with nonprofits whose mission coordinates with our mission and whose work impact the overarching needs in our community
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
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.

2020 Honorable Mention: Diversity and Inclusion Task Force

The Junior League of The Palm Beaches, FL

The Junior League of Savannah, GA

2018: Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan

Junior League of Jackson, MS

2018: Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan

Junior League of Jackson, MS

This year's winner of the Diversity & Inclusion Award goes to The Junior League of Jackson.

Change happens from the inside out—and that couldn’t be more true than with the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi.

In 2014, the League took a step back and realized that their demographics did not reflect the community it served. Even though Diversity and Inclusion was at the forefront of the JLJ’s community efforts, it realized that it still had a ways to go within its own membership.

The JLJ understood that change doesn’t happen overnight, so it began by creating a Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce and a 5-year Strategic Plan that prioritized D&I efforts from every level of Leadership.

The Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan included a D&I Statement, the adoption of significant Cultural Competencies Guidelines and creating a Sponsor Pool to assist in opening up the admissions process. The JLJ also completed a renovation to make its Headquarters ADA compliant, realigned its relationship with their Sustaining members, and created a powerful video and social media campaign entitled “#IAmJLJ” as a way to celebrate diversity within the League. A number of D&I-based trainings were organized for members, elevating the D&I climate within the JLJ.

The League looked at what they could do to stretch the initiative outside of their own organization and to start building traction with other local non-profits looking to prioritize D&I.

This type of elevated awareness in and outside the League empowered the JLJ to train and develop members in new ways so they could create an inclusive environment from the ground up. It has also allowed League Leadership to make more thoughtful decisions concerning strategy, partnerships and process, which has strengthened the League and its mission.

The JLJ has since built D&I and Cultural Competencies into all Leadership Training, and are willing to have the difficult conversations needed to set the tone from the top. The training has extended into the JLJ’s Provisional classes as well, with D&I and Cultural Competency components built into every session, creating a new normal within the League.

Clearly, D&I is a complex issue, but the JLJ has demonstrated its commitment and creativity to think outside the box and get very “real” with all of the opportunities they have as an organization to push forward.

Overall, the effort has been an enormous success. The JLJ has increased diversity in its leadership roles, old barriers have been broken down within the League, and new community relationships have been born. The public perception of the JLJ has been elevated as well, re-engaging and building awareness with their Sustaining members to better serve the community and fulfill their mission as a whole.

2018 Honorable Mention: Diversity and Inclusion Campaign

The Junior League of Lufkin, TX

2018 Honorable Mention: Diversity and Inclusion Campaign

The Junior League of Lufkin, TX

The 2018 Honorable Mention in Diversity & Inclusion goes to The Junior League of Lufkin's Diversity and Inclusion Campaign.

Becoming more and more diverse is a natural process in many communities, although sometimes the organizations that serve them don’t diversify at the same pace.

The Junior League of Lufkin, TX serves the greater Angelina County area, one of the state’s most diverse populations. After stepping back and looking at its membership, it was clear that the League no longer looked anything like the community it served.

The JLL wanted to put a stake in the ground, and make a promise to its community that they were committed to championing diversity and inclusion in their ranks, just as the county had embraced different voices from different cultures.

In the Spring of 2015, the JLL kicked off its Diversity and Inclusion Campaign with an official public statement: “The Junior League of Lufkin welcomes all women who value our Mission. We are committed to inclusive environments of diverse individuals, organizations and communities.”

To open up the membership to all women of all backgrounds, the League voted to amend its bylaws to eliminate the requirement that members must be sponsored by one or more Active or Sustaining members.

The JLL hosted Open Houses to introduce the League to women who were curious about the organization, what it does, and what it would mean for them to participate.

The League specifically targeted women from diverse backgrounds, from all parts of the community to attend its events and to consider membership. The League also created a social media campaign, including a video produced by the JLL to help dispel myths and stereotypes about the organization, while introducing the exciting, work they were doing in the community.

The League set out to create partnerships with other community organizations, encouraging inclusivity among the groups, and inviting diverse community organizations to collaborate with them on community projects. This helped the League create visibility and worked towards eliminating any of the stereotypes attached to the JLL and its membership.

Implementing this D&I initiative was no small task, and so the JLL sought the assistance of Diversity and Inclusion expert Vicki Clark. Vicki made two trips to Lufkin during the Campaign to talk with the Board and members, and spoke at two women’s conferences about diversity and inclusion, which had an immense impact on the League’s leadership and the impression of the local community.

At the beginning of the League’s Diversity and Inclusion Campaign, the JLL was 6% racially and culturally diverse. In the short time since they implemented the Campaign, the JLL is now 22% racially and culturally diverse—and the current JLL provisional member class is 50% racially and culturally diverse.

The Junior League of Lufkin now reflects not only the best Angelina County has to offer, but where the community aims to take itself in the future.

Junior League of Wichita, KS

2017 Honorable Mention: Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

The Junior League of San Diego, CA

The Junior League of Atlanta, GA

The Junior League of Baton Rouge, LA

2011: Diversity and Cultural Inclusion Committee

The Junior League of Baton Rouge, LA

Program Goal

Using AJLI’s “Building Blocks for Diversity & Inclusion” as a guide, The Junior League of Baton Rouge formed a Diversity and Cultural Inclusion Committee (DCIC) to implement a concrete process for making diversity a priority for the League.

Program Description

The program began with a self-assessment to help understand in a clear, no- nonsense way where the League stood in terms of inclusion. Working with a consultant, DCIC created a plan and introduced the basics of cultural competence at GMMs, area and training meetings. After consulting with members from diverse backgrounds, DCIC created an “insider” view of the state of diversity within JLBR and presented its findings to the Board.

To date, nearly all Provisional and Active members have been introduced to the program and many have engaged in training exercises designed to build cultural competency skills through training, dialogue and coaching. The DCIC also reviewed JLBR’s Policies and Procedures to make sure that cultural competency leadership traits impact member recruitment, community programs and overall League functioning. For example, placement advisors were provided training for their role using fictional diversity vignettes.

Results/Outcomes

The chief outcome was the increased importance of diversity and inclusion within the League. A large cross section of nearly 450 members participated directly in trainings or discussions. Presentations were made at GMMs and over 150 new members were introduced to cultural competence training. The plan is building a culturally competent leadership throughout JLBR. It is building member awareness and communicating the message that the League is committed to being a pacesetter in cultural competence. The plan also resulted in actions to ensure cultural competence in member recruitment, community programming and overall operations. AJLI’s Building Blocks provided a blue print for strategy and an action plan allowed the effort to make diversity and inclusion an important and prevalent value.

Evaluation

JLBR uses member feedback to make adjustments to the training to ensure it continues to offer members meaningful exposure to issues of diversity and inclusion.

The Junior League of Dallas, TX

2011 Honorable Mention: Diversity Task Force

The Junior League of Dallas, TX

Program Goal

The goal of the The Junior League of Dallas (JLD) Diversity Program was to create a culture of inclusion within the League. It sought to have every member embrace the value and importance of diversity. It encouraged members to be sensitive to diverse perspectives, to respect difference among individuals and to recognize the unique contribution every individual makes.

Program Description

JLD established a Diversity Task Force (DTF), which was solely dedicated to addressing issues of diversity and inclusion within the League. JLD broadly defined diversity to include gender, race, religion, age, ability, class, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. By taking a series of actions, the effort helped foster a culture of inclusion.

To make members aware of diversity issues and to make the League as welcoming as possible DTF identified diversity opportunities within the League. It made recommendations to the Board regarding actions that should be taken to demonstrate commitment and inclusion on all aspects of JLD operations. The idea is for members to gain both greater exposure to issues of inclusion and to experience the application of more inclusive practices. The operational areas included GMMs, new member recruitment and leadership training. The JLD website have all been impacted by this effort. The DTF provided training for the Leadership Council and introduced a new member diversity recruitment strategy. The Leadership Council received inclusion training and shared their learning in their committees. Diversity themed sessions were added to GMMs and other meetings. Diversity training was also provided at the Provisional retreat.

The committee was highly collaborative working with all facets of the League from membership to leadership, training to communication and community. DTF arranged for the League to work with new groups from a wide spectrum of the Dallas community. They developed partnerships with a variety of new community organizations, such as churches, sororities and young lawyers. Members were exposed to working with new partners and developed a deeper appreciation of the concepts of diversity.

Results/Outcomes

JLD demonstrated an unmistakable and ongoing commitment to improving diversity and inclusion by offering all members training and new experiences. The effort helped foster a culture of inclusion and promoted the understanding and sensitivity to diverse perspectives through training. It also strived to accurately represent the community and provide members the skills to better serve the diverse population of Dallas, and made significant chances in operations.

Changes in operations were implemented. Here are some examples:

A member survey with a focus of obtaining demographic data was implemented to determine how diverse the membership is.
A mentor program was instituted to engage the talents of diverse first year Actives. These mentors worked with these diverse members to deepen their connection to JLD.
Special email messages were sent to all members that covered a variety of topics related to issues of inclusion. This supplemented communication at GMMs and other meetings.
Also, the website prominently displays JLD’s Diversity Outreach Statement.

The bottom line is JLD made diversity and inclusion a significant value in all aspects of all operations. There is a new awareness of diversity and a renewed sense of purpose in all aspects of League life.

Evaluation

The initiative created a new member survey that will provide valuable feedback going forward. Diversity training will be evaluated to make sure it is relevant and the work of the DTF is on track.

The Junior League of Oklahoma City, OK

The Junior League of Fargo-Moorehead, ND-MN

The Junior League of Houston, TX

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