05/18/2021

Nonprofits Must Listen With Their Ears, Not With Their Eyes

Leaders who “speak for” marginalized groups engage in harmful behavior

About a year ago, I sat in a corner of a conference room for a staff meeting at the health nonprofit organization where I then worked. There was nothing in the air to suggest this would be the tipping point for me—we had spent two hours discussing legislative and regulatory happenings, asking if any state partners needed assistance, with staff offering to email so-and-so to navigate the latest federal bureaucratic impasse. I was, as usual, quiet.

While the meetings usually started to wind down with the introduction of status updates about research and reports, the conversation took a turn when senior staff broached the possibility of a new report on policy recommendations for Black maternal health. This topic area wasn’t entirely new to the organization, but funders were specifically requesting more content on the connections between race and health equity.

My eyes were fixed on my notes, but my ears were alive. For 10 minutes, the team brainstormed potential coauthors, themes and lead writers without a single mention of Black women.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SSIR.