This last year, 2020, was certainly remarkable. I am of the personal mindset that when we are dedicated to growth it means we are dedicated to addressing the challenges before us. Growth comes from pressure. And conscious growth comes from being conscious of the pressure. The only way I have been able to maintain courage in the face of pressure and growth is through a recognition of who I am and gratitude for such. Part of who I am is RID, and while RID is a lot of things to a lot of different people, much of how I think about this organization is how I think
agony of seeing and hearing recording after recording of Black people’s government-sanctioned executions. Transformation. Pandemic. Black Lives Matter. To say that 2020 took a toll is the understatement of the year. And yet, growth. I do not need to recreate the pain and trauma of the year. We all went through it in our own way. But, to the earlier point of
When we take a breath and slow down, it allows us to shift how we perceive reality. about our Board of Directors. This board has been an incredible model of courage under fire. When we first came together and decided to run we simply knew that having a seat at the table was not enough. We knew we had to actually take the seat and set the agenda. We knew we wanted to position ourselves and the association in a way that allowed underrepresented voices to be heard so that we could shape RID into something that was both responsive to us as professionals and responsive to us as members of communities. We knew the journey would be difficult and that there would be resistance. We also knew that there would be love, support, and encouragement along the way. For those who have offered that to me and this board, I am grateful. What we most certainly did not know is that we would be navigating the transformation of an organization in the midst of a pandemic all while surviving the emotional and mental
gratitude, I would like to spend a moment highlighting a small part of the experience of board members relative to RID and what was done in 2020. With another failed CEO search the board determined to take a look at RID and what was keeping us from moving forward, amidst misinformed speculation that we were attempting to hoard power. We did the hard work of looking at ourselves and our organization to determine what was realistic and healthy. We identified a CEO and began the work of preparing them to step into this service during 2021. The board hosted multiple virtual town halls, encouraging members to see the work we are doing. We all know that board service is never easy. But we were willing to make it even more difficult by continuously opening ourselves and our work to feedback and critique. We hosted several town halls with membership and leadership groups across www.rid.org
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