Board Resolution on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Sixty-five years after ANCA’s founding in 1955, ANCA’s board of directors signed and adopted its first Resolution on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on September 18, 2020.

This resolution reflects ANCA’s commitment to building a community of staff, board members, advisors, donors, interns, fellows and volunteers, and partners that holds diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values:

WHEREAS, as the host organization for the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, and in the wake of national coalescing around the Black Lives Matter protests and actions, ANCA has committed to intentional action to disrupt 400 plus years of racism and to dismantle the structural inequities that plague our region and our nation, and

WHEREAS, human diversity can be defined as differences in race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical and/or mental capabilities, and religious beliefs, and

WHEREAS, equity is providing fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people; eliminating barriers that have prevented the full participation of all groups; and

WHEREAS, inclusion is creating environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate; and

WHEREAS, ANCA is committed to building a community of staff, board members, advisors, donors, interns, fellows and volunteers, and partners that holds diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values; and

WHEREAS, this commitment strengthens the organization, improves our overall effectiveness, and helps ensure the policies we advance and programs we implement promote an equitable transition to a New Economy that Works for All

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Directors of the Adirondack North Country Association hereby endorses diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values of the organization; and

BE IT ALSO RESOLVED that the Board of Directors of the Adirondack North Country Association establishes a Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to work closely with the Adirondack Diversity Initiative on the development and implementation of new policies and programs pursuant to its core values and to hold the organization accountable and to engage in continuous cultural consciousness development.