Social Justice

“Diversity Statement”

AVANZAR is committed to equitable and inclusive treatment to our diverse community with a fully integrated and educated staff. Diversity is our strength and we celebrate it by helping individuals of all ages, races, nationalities, religions, physical abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities. We pledge ourselves to creating and maintaining an environment that respects multiple traditions, heritages, and experiences. Our goal is to eliminate discrimination by becoming change agents in the workplace and in the community.

Our commitment statement is “Where Diversity is Our Strength.”

The Change Team

The Change Team is made up of staff members, including CEO Claudia Ratzlaff, who has a passion and a desire to make a difference in the workplace. This team helps to be the steering committee for the Dismantling Racism Initiative.

Production

AVANZAR created and copyrighted an important production called “Things I Remember… A Conversation on Racism in the U.S.” This production consists of collected monologues from staff and our community on how we have experienced race in our lives as well as engaging the audience to begin an open dialogue and healing between one another. If you are interested in AVANZAR performing this for your school or organization, please contact Deborah Hamani at Deborah.hamani@avanzarnow.org

Training Team

AVANZAR is available to provide customized training for organizations, government partners, or nonprofit agencies interested in Dismantling Racism Initiatives. For additional information about our training opportunities, please contact Deborah Hamani at (609) 601-9925 ext. 1016.

The Caucuses

The Caucuses are made up of two groups—The White Caucus and the People of Color Caucus. The focus of the caucuses is to dialogue and implement strategies of change within the organization. The caucuses meet together, then break into their separate groups to share experiences in the workplace and the community. They then come together to dialogue and develop strategies. The caucuses aid in keeping the participating staff accountable to the process and create a forum for safe dialogue about racism and white privilege.