RVC’s new blog: A Feisty Voice for Social Justice

Hi everyone, this is Vu, RVC’s Executive Director. You may also know me as the guy who writes the blog nonprofitaf.com. The staff and I have talked and realized that while we have been doing and learning so much at RVC, we have not really done a good enough job reflecting on and writing about the lessons we’ve learned and how it might inform the work.

So, starting in May, RVC’s blog will become more active. The purpose of this blog is to inform our community—you all—of what we are up to, allow RVC to process and share critical lessons we learn, and influence the way the nonprofit sector thinks about and implements strategies for developing leaders of color and strengthening organizations of color. Many posts will focus on dynamics of equity and the intersectionality experienced by marginalized communities. Examples of those topics are:

• How standard evaluation practices have been leaving behind communities of color, and what we need to do about it
• The role of white community members in advancing social justice efforts led by communities of color
• Gender dynamics when working with organizations led by communities of color
• How traditional capacity building philosophies and practices have been harming communities of color
• How to manage when you find yourself the only person of color in the room
• The importance of “strategic discomfort” in doing equity and social justice work
• Effective decision-making structures in organizations serving marginalized communities

Some posts will more fun than serious, including

• Your favorite office snacks and what it says about you and your team
• The joys and curses of an open-office layout at a social justice organization
• Help, our plants are dying!
• Creative team-building exercises that are culturally relevant and won’t break the bank
• The role of food in community building work

We aim to have a post published each week on Wednesday. Staff, including me, as well as our fellows and board members will be taking turns contributing thoughtful pieces that will be curated by our Development and Communications Manager, Jaleh, and by me. You, our donors, supporters, and volunteers, are welcome to submit suggestions for topics or your own posts.

As this will be a collection of many writers with differing opinions, we do not claim that the posts represent RVC’s official stance on anything. In fact, we encourage civil dialogue, including disagreements, and we may run one perspective and then publish a post with counterarguments. This allows individual writers to present their thoughts without having to align with RVC’s formal beliefs.

We look forward to reflecting on the work and sharing lessons with you each week. Please subscribe to this blog by inputting your email on the right. And engage by writing comments, questions, and suggestions.

See you next Wednesday!

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