La Keisha Leek

Promoting Equity and Inclusion at the MacArthur Foundation: A Philanthropic Case Study

This breakout session will be structured into two parts. First, the current JIC Co-Chairs will present a history of the Just Imperative Committee. This will include the overview of the committee and its objective, as well as key challenges, wins, and learning lessons from the three year-long detailed Truth, Accountability, Repair, and Healing Process (TARH). For instance, the Foundation now has two dedicated staff members in the newly created equity office. We will present from our reparative action steps should our proposal move forward. This part of the session will close by highlighting the work that lies ahead for the committee. Second, the session will have an interactive component where session participants will have an opportunity to reflect on their own organizations’ internal equity and inclusion journey. This part of the session will include small group discussion guided by a reflection guide and an opportunity for participants to share their organizational experiences and to learn from the experiences of others. By the end of the session, we hope that participants have learned about MacArthur Foundation’s recent equity and inclusion journey; had an opportunity to reflect on, and share, their organizational experiences; and have learned from the equity and inclusion journeys of other organizations.