ALF’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Commitment
ALF SILICON VALLEY’S DEI VISION STATEMENT
ALF recognizes that the social contract with communities of color has never been fulfilled. As an organization that is a “leader of leaders,” we commit to challenging ourselves, our network and our community to do the ongoing hard work of recognizing power dynamics and structures, blind spots and biases that perpetuate systemic racism and inequities. Using ALF strategies and leveraging the power of the ALF network, we will work to remedy the impact within our own organization, throughout the programs we offer and in communities we serve. In doing so, we move towards our ultimate outcome of creating a more equitable and thriving Silicon Valley – for all.
WHERE WE BEGAN
ALF’s DEI journey has happened alongside and been influenced by the hundreds of dialogues facilitated by and for Senior Fellows. As we’ve connected groups of leaders and guided them through courageous conversations, asking each other bold questions about diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and liberation, we as an organization have also been transformed by the perspectives and learnings. As such, we have made commitments and implemented changes, from the boardroom to the Fellows classroom, that move us towards our ultimate outcome.
WHY DEI MATTERS TO ALF
American Leadership Forum was founded in 1980 on the premise that investing in diverse, cross-sector leaders and putting them in relationship with each other – to expand their perspectives and empathy of different experiences – could help create a better society. Our founder, Joseph Jaworski, made dialogue across differences and appreciation of diverse experiences cornerstones of the curriculum from day one. He lays out this objective of ALF as follows:
“Build deep trust and respect among the group, and help each Fellow get beyond the devaluing prejudices that we all hold. Foster an experience of how a group of leaders, from many different sectors in a community, can coalesce around issues of shared concern and move to successful resolution.”
Today, ALF Silicon Valley’s mission is to join and strengthen diverse leaders, creating and supporting networks for good. Success looks like courageous, diverse networks of cross sector leaders working towards an equitable and thriving Silicon Valley. Building on these foundational values and purpose, over time ALFSV has expanded our understanding and priorities for diversity, equity and inclusion. We seek to bring people together across differences of not only sector, gender, race, political perspective and cities throughout the region, but also across ethnicity, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds, gender identity and sexual orientation, and other aspects of identity and experience that have been overlooked and under-valued.
In the region that has been a leader in promoting the idea of meritocracy, it is especially important for ALFSV to recognize the historic and current systems of inequity and to engage the power of our network to dismantle these systems and promote equity through the leadership and collaboration of Senior Fellows and partnerships with others in our organizations and communities.
MILESTONES ON OUR JOURNEY TO DATE
2021
- Added gender / ethnic diversity to Fellows program lead facilitation.
- Seeking funding for three 20 person DIEL cross-sector learning circles.
- Board staff retreat: Creating an organizational vision statement for ALF’s DEI work to be incorporated into our strategic plan pillars.
- Developed a strategy screen to prioritize DIEL work.
2020
Fellows Program:
- Dialogues on race, racism and murders of black men and women by law enforcement throughout the Fellows year.
- Special additional sessions scheduled with Decolonizing Wealth Author Edgar Villaneueva; Winners Take All Author Anand Giridharadas; a history of racism with Fellow Rick Banks, Author, Stanford Law Professor and Director of the new Stanford Center for Racial Justice.
Senior Fellows Offerings:
- 3rd Nonprofit CEO DIEL cohort began, 1st & 2nd cohorts continue. Curriculum for this work is finalized.
- ALF Insights facilitation work formally launched with a focus on race equity as a centering principal in the approach.
- Held large dialogue convenings with nationally-recognized leaders for equity:
- We the People Democracy Initiative: Eric Liu, Anand Giridharadas, Eric Ward
- ALF National & local partner events: Ibram X Kendi, Edgar Villanueva, Dr. Clayborne Carson
- Produced and distributed podcasts Money as Medicine: A Dialogue with Edgar Villanueva and We the People with Eric Ward: Building an Inclusive Democracy
- Political Perspectives Dialogue Circles brought together diverse Senior Fellows to practice and strengthen skills for dialogue across differences, including issues of equity and race, gender, immigration, etc.
Staff & Senior Fellows partnered to develop and lead new Affinity Groups focused on equity: Arts & Culture Leaders, Foundation Leaders, Re-Imagining Public Safety & Justice Systems.
Staff & Senior Fellows partnered to develop and lead dialogue events focused on equity: COVID & Race, Policing, Immigration, Education Equity, Corporate Leadership and Board Leadership for Racial Equity, Film as a Pathway for Courageous Conversation with SV African American Film Festival.
Solicited Senior Fellow input on deepening ALF’s racial equity work through focus groups, 1:1 conversations, and a survey.
White Leaders Learning Circle began as a place to explore history and harms of white supremacy culture, challenge each other to learn and grow and to shift their mindset.
3 BIPOC Racial Caucuses/Affinity Groups formed: AAPI, Black & Latino/a/x
AAPI Caucus members wrote OpEd: Asian Americans call for vaccine equity for Latinx & Black communities.
La Comunidad for Justice, Equity & Inclusion wrote letters to Newsom and other state officials and met with State Senator re. vaccine equity.
AAPI Caucus contributed to and signed-on to Joint Statement of Solidarity Condemning Anti-Asian Violence and wrote and spoke to Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.
AAPI Caucus sent letters to Newsom and Biden about AAPI representation in appointments.
Board / Staff:
A message from the ALF Board of Directors – response to George Floyd murder.
Mercury News Op Ed: “By working together, we can build a better Silicon Valley” in response to George Floyd murder, call to action of white leaders.
Call Me In: The Intersection of Race, Privilege and Leadership podcast produced with Founders of the original CEO DIEL cohort.
Network Weaver asked to lead ongoing DEI journey for ALF staff.
Monthly staff development sessions on equity issues began.
CEO / Board Members co-create a Complicity Audit to be released as a part of The ALF Way brand / content (4th pillar – strategic plan.)
June 2020: CEO / board engage in living our DEI values as an organization. Resulting in Vice Chair organizing board discussion and learning groups.
ALFSV CEO begins ALF National Board DEI work, facilitating learning circles and creating BIPOC Caucus.
ALFSV CEO wrote Hashtags Aren’t Enough blog post in response to resurging anti-Asian racism.
ALFSV CEO and Board member spoke on panel of allies at Tech for AAPI event.
2019
Fellows Program:
- Refreshed ALF Fellows Class curriculum with a focus on equity. Shift from “race dialogue day” to race equity dialogues embedded throughout the year.
Senior Fellows Offerings:
- Seated and began dialogue between city staff and community leaders on equity and gentrification.
Board/Staff:
- Staff and Board craft a Values Statement addressing ALF’s foundational commitment to DEI.
2018
Fellows Program:
- ALF’s Network Development Committee set a goal of 50% POC for every Fellows class moving forward. Goal surpassed in 2019, met in 2020 and 2021.
Senior Fellows Offerings:
- 2nd Nonprofit CEO DIEL cohort began.
- Facilitation within the community increases as do the requests for ALF to support challenging dialogues related to equity issues.
Board / Staff:
- Commitment to diversify Executive Committee and board leadership pipeline.
2017
Fellows Program:
- Reading list for Fellows program overhauled to include DEI centric content.
Senior Fellows Offerings:
- First Nonprofit CEO Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Liberation (DIEL) cohort began. The work of this cohort was an acceleration point for the organization in developing its own DIEL journey, prioritizing this as a focus moving forward.
2016
Fellows Program:
- A commitment to diverse faculty
- Integrate dialogues centered in DEI throughout the entire year
- Commitment by Network Development Committee and CEO to increase Fellows class diversity
Senior Fellows Offerings:
- Faith Leaders Affinity Group
Board / Staff:
- ALF Board adds “building a diverse staff” as an evaluation metric of CEO
- CEO and Board Nominating / Governance Committee commit to seating a board that better reflects the demographics of the communities we serve, broadening diversity categories in matrix. (Public and NPO sectors, POC, ALF Class and political diversity.)
- Mercury News OpEd: Respond to Hate with Love, written by ALF Faith Leaders and ALF CEO
WHAT DEI LOOKS LIKE WITHIN ALF, WITH SENIOR FELLOW LEADERSHIP, IN OUR COMMUNITY
American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley commits to putting diversity, equity and inclusion at the foundation of our organization. When we assemble teams – whether they be staff, board members, Fellows classes or network gatherings – we design for maximum diversity. For ALF, achieving maximum diversity means not creating silos or “choirs,” but instead bringing leaders from divergent perspectives together to build bridges of understanding across difference through dialogue with deep listening and honest sharing. Leveraging ALF dialogue strategies and expertise in creating impactful convenings, we aim to curate the conditions for learning and empathy by engaging people with a wide variety of experiences and points of view through diversity in age, ethnicity, race, gender and sexual orientation, political orientation, religion, socioeconomic background, and sector. If we are creating and designing relationship building and problem-solving curriculum and containers for the “community,” then it is imperative that “community” be at the table. In addition, ALF believes that much opportunity lies within dialogues that embrace productive tension. It is only through staying at the table that we will realize the full potential of what this community can create together.
OUR PLANS & COMMITMENTS MOVING FORWARD
ALF Silicon Valley’s DEI journey is continuous and ongoing. As such, this is a living document, with details of our learnings and journey to be updated in real time.