FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jessica Student
1333 Broadway, Suite 250
Oakland, CA 94612
NET IMPACT ISSUES STATEMENT ON ANTI-RACISM
Commits to amplify BIPOC voices in creating a more just and sustainable world
OAKLAND, Calif., September 3, 2020 (Net Impact). At Net Impact we work to inspire and equip emerging leaders to build a more just and sustainable world. We recognize that it is our responsibility to include and amplify the voice of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) as a part of the work we do every day.
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” Audre Lorde
The global eruption of protests against racism has prompted our own organization to more deeply examine the role we must play in the fight for racial equity and a more just future for all. Our systems have allowed the acceptance of the status quo, leading to far too many decisions, activities, meetings, and events where Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are underrepresented.
“By making this statement, we want to make it clear to our community, to our partners, and among ourselves that we commit to being anti-racist and to making conscious and actionable choices that reflect our stance. In collaboration with our valued and respected BIPOC Net Impact Members, the broader network, staff, and friends, we will actively work to ensure that our community is lifting up the underrepresented, listening to the unheard, and standing beside one another in solidarity towards a more just future.” - Peter Lupoff, CEO of Net Impact.
To create an equitable society, we must commit to making unbiased choices and being anti-racist in all aspects of our lives. As a civil society institution with a mission to inspire and equip leaders for a just and sustainable world, Net Impact must make this commitment too and must embed it in all its activities. Further, we must work toward dismantling systemic racism.
“Our work at Net Impact has always been at the forefront of important social and environmental issues. We understand the importance of equity and have built programs to diversify our student and professional chapters and engaged students on college campuses on the topics of racial equity and bias. I am proud of the progress we have achieved, but we acknowledge that we must take our commitment further.” - Cecily Joseph, Board Chair, Net Impact
We, Net Impact, commit to amplifying the voices of BIPOC Net Impact Members, Business Professionals, Entrepreneurs, Academics, Policy Makers, Activists, and others through our events (virtual and terrestrial), workshops, and other engagements. We will also continue to build relationships with other BIPOC, to learn, to uncover our conscious or unconscious indifference, and become authentic partners in the work toward anti-racism. We will include racial equity and social justice in our offerings and identify ways to engage more BIPOC mentors and apprentices. And, we will continue to identify other courses of action to not only make Net Impact anti-racist, but to promote businesses, government, academic, and other institutions to do the same.
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About Net Impact
Net Impact is a global community of students and professionals who aspire to be effective drivers of economic, social, and environmental change. Our programs—delivered from our headquarters in Oakland, CA, as well as globally through our 350+ Chapters—connect our members to the skills, experiences, and people that will allow them to have the greatest impact. With over 100,000 members, Net Impact takes on social challenges, protects the environment, invents new products, and orients business toward the greater good. In short, we help our members turn their passions into a lifetime of world-changing action. Visit www.netimpact.org.