The BIPOC Caucus mission aims to dismantle systemic racism and build authentic and lasting solidarity among Black, Indigenous and People of Color in order to undo and dismantle white supremacy and advance racial justice starting within the confines of the Trevor Project.
We are committed to building power through collective cultural healing strategies. By centering BIPOC voices we do not want to exclude others from being a part of the movement. We believe that the liberation of BIPOC communities is fundamental and cannot be deprioritized.
We condemn racism and know the suffering of any one human has a lasting effect on us all as a global community.
Collectively, the BIPOC Caucus is taking action to decolonize systems and institutions, redefine our relationship to social movements across the board, and liberate ourselves and our communities. We are dedicated to building trusting relationships with, and a mutual support network between, the BIPOC caucus and others to create a shared standard of cultural competency, knowledge and accountability.
The BIPOC Caucus’ vision is to cultivate a workplace culture that is dedicated to centering BIPOC issues, anti-racism, and equitable employment practices while fostering an environment of belonging. BIPOC people have autonomy and power over our own lives and futures. Our collective joy, gifts, stories, and cultural ancestral practices are the life force that weaves our communities together. We can and will be our whole selves without fear of retaliation or institutionalized violence. White supremacy must be abolished on all fronts. Our vision for equity incorporates the intersectionality of race, gender identity, sexual orientation and socio-economic status and includes those in all marginalized groups.
The BIPOC Caucus Goals
1. Zero Tolerance Policies for Racism & Discrimination: Confronting, challenging, and changing racially discriminatory and biased policies at Trevor. Our current policies are built on systems that uphold white supremacy and have historically impacted the professional and personal development of our most marginalized employees. We need to develop clear and equitable ZERO tolerance policies for racism and discrimination that apply to ALL levels of staff members, including Senior Leadership and C-Suite execs.
2. Language Inclusion & Accessibility: Immediately implement global workplace standards for language accessibility for all staff across meeting platforms (email, google meets, zoom, slack, etc). Our organization serves and staffs individuals from diverse communities with varying abilities and languages in which we most comfortably and effectively communicate. Trevor should strive to be a leader in investing and prioritizing culture competency, translation/interpretation systems, software, and standards that are imperative for harm reduction and community inclusion.
3. DEIB Training: Ongoing anti-racist and intersectional training for new and current employees, senior leadership, C-Suite, as well as board members on a continual basis. DEIB and culturally informed training to be required for all volunteer crisis counselors and embedded into the Trevor Project training curriculum. The training sessions will include the following topics: Anti-Racism, Allyship, Implicit Bias, Micro/Macro Aggressions, Power and Privilege, Equity, and Inclusivity.
4. “Culture fits” at Trevor: Rebuild a work culture in which people of color are free to bring their full selves to the table without fear of judgment, discrimination, and microaggressions. Workplace standards of professionalism are heavily defined by white supremacy, explicitly and implicitly favor whiteness, and disproportionately impact people of color. Eliminate biased leadership practices, hiring, promotions, and systems at Trevor that solely benefit workers and management that uphold white supremacist values by adopting the formation of an Affinity Group or DEIB committee that serves as stakeholders in leadership (manager, senior leaders, C-Suite) hiring rounds.
5. Stakeholder Inclusion: Provide an opportunity for affinity group leaders to meet with members of the Board at least once a year to share their experiences at Trevor and be included in the decision-making to remove the top-down approach that upholds systems of white supremacy.
BIPOC Caucus Solidarity Principles
1. Decolonizing Mindsets: Seek, learn, share and affirm the distinct histories of the BIPOC communities and unlearn dominant narratives.
2. Develop a Power Analysis: Consider how each BIPOC community is differently situated in the racial hierarchy and differently affected by issues.
3. Uplift Black and Native Humanity: Honor the legacies of Black and Native resistance to colonization and white supremacy; and actively examine how disparities and injustices uniquely affect Black and Native communities.
4. Build Intergroup Connections and Relationships: Intentionally collaborate and build a network in order to address issues and work towards eradicating racism and investing in one another’s liberation.
5. Commitment to Personal and Collective Healing: Practice both individual and community care; and invite connection; and center healing on transformative justice.
6. Individual Ask: We ask all employees to demonstrate a personal commitment to being ant-racist while supporting an equitable and inclusive workplace culture.
