In 1998, Rose Brooks Center staff established a Diversity Connections Committee to address the unique needs of clients from diverse backgrounds. Through the years, the Diversity Committee has continued to create and implement policies to improve and sustain diversity
development, as well as equity and inclusion goals in all areas of the agency. This includes, but is not limited to: providing services for immigrant and refugee survivors; creating a Black Leadership Advocacy Council; implementing tools for equal access for persons with limited English proficiency; offering Trauma Informed Care and Universal Design for Accessibility training; publicly proclaiming Black Lives Matter; creating an Equity and Inclusion Committee; and more.
These committees exist to ensure that every aspect of the agency – along with every program, department, team, policy, procedure, form, decision, etc. – is actively working to shift the agency toward enacting its commitment to ending the different intersectional oppressions which impact victim-survivors of domestic violence.
We invite you to read more below about our commitment to advancing principles and practice of equity and inclusion throughout Rose Brooks Center, including our partnership with the Health Forward Foundation, the Jackson County Community Mental Health Fund, and local equity and inclusion expert consultants to diversify our staff and board of directors.
Work Continues
Through the results of staff equity and inclusion surveys, and discussions within Diversity Connections committees and the executive team, we know there is a continued need for the guidance and expertise of an equity and inclusion expert to facilitate the work of identifying the presence of white supremacy features in current policy and practice, examining antidotes or alternatives to white supremacy culture, and applying tangible alternatives to care coordination and all other aspects of our organization. With funding from Health Forward Foundation, Rose Brooks Center is working with two community-based equity and inclusion experts. Nicole Jacobs Silvey, president and founder of Connection Coach KC, is providing a combination of consulting and coaching to facilitate activities with the board, staff and leadership. KaMille Washington, owner and founder of Beyond the Mosaic works more directly with HR and outreach strategies for volunteerism and recruitment.
Hand Lettered Audre Lord Quote Painted By Harriet Faith “When I Dare To Be Powerful – To Use My Strength In The Service Of My Vision, Then It Becomes Less And Less Important Whether I Am Afraid. Audre Lorde was a poet, feminist and civil rights activist; born in February 1934 in NYC to Caribbean parents. Her poetry began to be widely published in the 1960’s.