NAF is dedicated to continuously recognizing and addressing oppressions and microaggressions that affect our colleagues, our partners, and those we serve. We strive for equity and respect, wherein the dignity of every person is acknowledged and honored.

We first embarked on our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism (DEIA) Initiative in August 2020, alongside so many other institutions both within and far beyond the reproductive health and rights space. Since then, the initiative has been a critical opportunity to reflect on our structure, operations, culture, and vision, and to work proactively toward building a truly inclusive, equitable organization that reflects our world today.

Our DEIA work stems from a broader effort to continually improve NAF’s organizational culture and ensure that we are a workplace where everyone feels safe, supported, and able to show up as their authentic selves. Additionally, it has been an opportunity to create better alignment between our internal and external work, and ensure everything that we do is equally grounded in our broader DEIA vision.

In service of that goal, we’ve established a clear DEIA vision, which is to be a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist community as reflected by our mission, core values, organizational structure, and practices.

In practice, this looks like:

  • Making sure that BIPOC, transgender, nonbinary, and staff with disabilities are full participants in the direction of this organization
  • Providing equitable access to power and respecting people’s agency
  • Maintaining respectful interpersonal interactions strengthened with trainings that emphasize living our core values
  • Fostering a safe environment that centers people’s intersectional identities and makes them feel empowered to be their whole selves at work

To put our words into action, we have:

  • Formed a staff DEIA Task Force, and a DEIA Committee for our Board
  • Developed and defined our DEIA goals and objectives and NAF’s organizational Core Values and made sure they were aligned
  • Facilitated trainings on the impact of microaggressions, building racial equity, communicating throughout the organization, and how we live our Core Values
  • Integrated DEIA principles into our hiring practices, human resources activities, and decision-making processes

We recognize that these efforts, while important, are only the beginning of a long process. By sharing these updates regularly and publicly, we hold ourselves accountable on our path to becoming a truly antiracist organization.

NAF DEIA: Staff Goals and Objectives

These Goals and Objectives were identified by the DEIA Task Force in 2021 with input from the broader NAF staff

DEIA Vision

NAF will be an anti-racist diverse, equitable, inclusive community as reflected by its Mission, Core Values, Organizational Structure, and Practices.

Goals

The desired outcomes of the DEIA transformation process

Staff, particularly BIPOC, Transgender, gender nonbinary, and those with disabilities participate [provide input] in the organizational direction that is aligned with their skill set and in the context of their position and workload
Equitable access to power* within the organization, particularly for those who are BIPOC, gender nonbinary, and those with disabilities, respecting people’s agency within their areas of expertise and job description
Respectful interpersonal interactions regardless of position within the organization (esp. with people who are Transgender, gender non-binary, BIPOC, and those with disabilities)
A safe organizational environment where all feel liberated to bring their whole selves to work—Intersectional identities are centered and considered throughout the organization

*power: the ability that you have to influence the behavior of another stakeholder in your organization. Your power is measured by the extent that you can use your influence to get that stakeholder to do something that they would otherwise prefer not to do. Click for Race Equity Glossary.

Objectives

Planned actionable items to achieve our goals

  • Define where, when, and how there are opportunities for staff input into the organizational direction, highlighting the voices of BIPOC, Transgender, gender nonbinary, and those with disabilities.
  • Create, welcome, support, and sustain opportunities for broad staff participation supported by Leadership
  • Define and disseminate information on decision-making processes and how feedback is used
  • Integrate HR DEIA Efforts with Organizational Transformation
  • Develop and implement a transparent incident report and response process for staff, as it relates to how race/patient identities are being handled
  • Develop a set of NAF community Core Values
  • Develop and implement a strategy for NAF allyship with Reproductive Justice Lens
  • Define elements of how NAF works with an RJ lens
  • Facilitate topic-focused conversations addressing various issues through affinity groups
  • Facilitate ongoing trainings supporting Organizational Transformation
    • Race Equity Culture
    • Communication
    • Realistic Non-Profit Organizational Expectations
    • Interpersonal Interactions as it relates to Gender, Race, and Identity
    • Managing Microaggressions

NAF DEIA TASK FORCE

DEIA Task Force Members represent the entire organization, including our leadership team, as well as our service and support teams.

About

  • Meets regularly to advance the work of the DEIA initiative
  • Invites feedback from staff and members
  • Develops their skills as well as those of staff and members through ongoing trainings
  • Ensures that the organization's DEIA work is being incorporated throughout the organization