Along with companies making statements about their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), we as individuals need to vote with DEI in mind, advocate for real policy change, and contribute financially and with service to nonprofit organizations that are working to right racist wrongs.
I am so encouraged by our new collective understanding that, as the protest signs say, “The system isn’t broken it was build this way.” It’s time to address the policies that are so entrenched in the way our country operates, we don’t even recognize them as racist.
Take for example the fact that public education in the United States is funded through property taxes. This means in towns where the property values are high, more money is allocated for the schools than in towns / cities where the property values are lower. How, when and why did we decide that this is how education should be funded in the United States of America? I started to look into this with the hope of getting personally involved in any effort aimed at ending this inherently racist and elitist American policy, and getting Teak Media involved as well, but I’ve come up short. When I asked one of Teak’s very knowledgeable clients about the issue, he said, “Property tax driven school assignment is literally the third rail of American education politics.” No politician wants to be the one who advocates for removing this elitist privilege.
Education is at the heart of the American dream. How can we expect all people to be treated equally, and to have equal access to prosperity and pursuit of happiness, when at our foundation, we not educating all people equally? If government isn’t going to address this racist policy, we the people need to, right?
So, what can we do? Along with speaking to town legislators, state senators and all politicians in our cities and states, we can help fund nonprofit organizations that are working to provide access to quality education to all people. There are many. Here are three:
Boston Uncornered – Empowers the formerly gang-involved to get into and thrive in community college so they can get off the streets, earn a living wage, and become positive rather than destructive influencers in Boston.
Operation Hope – Provides dignified financial education to the typically underserved so they can become financially solvent and take control of their futures for themselves and generations to come.
Capital Good Fund – Makes affordable loans and financial coaching accessible to people in six states, eliminating the need for check-cashing stores and predatory lenders that exist to keep people impoverished.
Since words have the power to shape action, I wanted to close by sharing with you Teak’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are in Teak Media’s DNA. We believe in the value and equality of all people, which is why Teak Media represents nonprofit organizations with missions that range from ending hunger to educating the underserved. Diversity and inclusion are naturally at the heart of our clients’ work and are hallmarks of how they run their organizations from leadership choices to serving their audiences.
We believe that education is at the core of an all-welcoming American Dream and that quality education for all is necessary if systemic racism is to be derailed. Among our goals as a company is to improve access to education, financial and emotional support, housing, clean air and water, nutrition, and other inalienable human rights to all by helping our clients gain exposure for their good work, raise critical funds, and scale.
In 2016, Teak Media took the B Corp’s Inclusive Economy Challenge pledge, in which we vowed to partner with vendors who represent all ethnicities. We continue, as a team, to educate ourselves about implicit bias through readings and workshops which help us learn, change and grow together, while at the same time improve our ability to serve as real partners to our clients.
Finally, we aim to develop a more diverse staff at Teak. We are working toward the day when the Teak staff is racially representative of the clients we serve.
