Equity and Inclusion Work in 2020
Lisa Josylin | Published on 1/7/2021
MAVA had an impactful year with our racial equity and inclusion in volunteerism work. Early in the year we hosted multiple in-person events and trainings centered on racial equity, and also convened a cohort of organizations focused on advancing racial equity in volunteerism. After George Floyd’s murder in June, as more people turned their attention to racism in our country, MAVA published several articles highlighting systemic racism in volunteerism and encouraging the field to acknowledge the problems and aim to do better. Despite the pandemic, we hosted a 3-day virtual conference focused on “Redefining Volunteerism: Dismantling Inequities,” with over 200 volunteer engagement leaders in attendance. We also kicked off a research project involving listening sessions with BIPOC volunteers to learn more about co-creating equitable volunteer systems. We look forward to continuing this work into 2021 and sharing our research with MAVA members and their organizations.