Diversity, Racial Equity & Belonging
UNICEF USA is committed to living out diversity, racial equity and belonging (DREB) in our organization, our work and our communities.
Our Vision
UNICEF USA envisions an organization where we affirm each other’s humanity, value each other’s gifts and contributions, include each other’s perspective and realize a world where all children are healthy, educated, protected and respected. We unequivocally condemn hate in all its forms and any action that creates division.
Our Commitment
UNICEF USA is committed to living out diversity, racial equity and belonging (DREB) in our organization, our work and our communities.
We know this work calls for radical and transformative change, bringing with it sustained action to dismantle racist and oppressive systems, policies, practices and ideologies within ourselves, our organization and our sector.
We are committed to shifting our culture and our consciousness so that we can be a truly equitable, inclusive and explicitly anti-racist organization. To us, being an anti-racist organization means we are guided in our work and our relationships by the principles of intentionality, truth, empathy, courage and solidarity.
Our Approach
We believe that the critical work of racial equity, anti-racism, anti-oppression and belonging is multi-layered, complex, non-linear, difficult, ongoing and deeply personal. We believe that by centering the following principles in our approach, we can do right by this work, ourselves and our communities.
Our Guiding Principles
- Intentionality: Be thoughtful in all our interactions, spaces, relationships and decisions
- Truth: Be honest and explicit about the problems we face and what is causing us harm
- Empathy: Be kind, affirm the humanity of other people and accept the truth of other lived experiences
- Courage: Be brave, do the personal work, don’t shy away from conflict and stay engaged
- Solidarity: Be actively antiracist and accept that dismantling systems of oppressions takes all of us
Our Priorities
Organizational Diversity: Intentionally diversify UUSA staff and leadership levels to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and those in which we are based by applying an equity lens to composition, recruitment, pay, promotion and retention
Organizational Capacity Building: Build our individual and collective capacities to do diversity, racial equity, anti-racism and belonging work in a competent, confident and committed way
Inclusion and Belonging: Build an affirming and inclusive culture where all team members feel welcomed and valued, can bring their authentic selves, do their best work and thrive
Sustainability and Accountability: Build a culture of accountability where everyone understands and owns their role in our DREB work with the requisite accountability mechanisms that enable us to sustainably implement our DREB priorities
To learn more, contact peopleandculture@unicefusa.org