Why Diversity Matters to Justice At Last
Why Does Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Matter in the Anti-Trafficking Movement?
We know that systemic racism, sexism, ableism, xenophobia, homophobia and transphobia are the root causes of oppression, exploitation and human trafficking. That is why it is so critical for anti-trafficking organizations to ensure their leadership is diverse, instills equity, promotes inclusion and ensures a sense of belonging.
While we celebrate organizations taking the first step of committing to creating a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and/or attending a belonging training, the anti-trafficking movement needs to do more than that. Indeed, Justice At Last recognizes that creating a committee is not enough. That is why since the summer of 2020 our Board of Directors have been taking action in order for actual changes to occur. For instance, the Justice At Last Board has:
Participated in the American Bar Association’s Syllabus on the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge conceived by diversity expert Dr. Eddie Moore Jr.;
Created a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee;
Engaged in and received trainings from members of our Advisory Council how sexism, racism homophobia, xenophobia and other forms of systemic oppression are the root causes of trafficking.
Concluded that Justice At Last’s mission to help trafficked persons seek justice is connected day-in and day-out to helping stop systematic racism in the legal system.
We are proud to have started the challenging but necessary work to understand the intersections of race, power, privilege, supremacy and oppression. Admittedly, at times, this work has been painful. However, and most importantly, our actions have been transformative. We have been wowed by our Board of Directors’ commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging and we think you will too!
Justice At Last Board of Directors Practicing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
Founding Director, Ruth Silver Taube, took a stand and stepped down as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors in January of 2021 in order to diversify the Justice At Last Officers. Ruth’s condition for her replacement was that the new Vice Chair had to be a person of color. Thanks to Ruth’s tenacious actions, and the entire Board of Directors embracing that change and following suit, we are proud to share we have new leaders for our Board of Directors.
Please join me in welcoming our new leadership of the Justice At Last Board of Directors! We are delighted to share that Somita Basu is now the Chair of the Board of Directors and Joy Thompson is the new Vice Chair.
Somita Basu, Chair
"I am honored to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of Justice At Last. I hope to help leverage the influence and energy of this dynamic Board of Directors to assist the dedicated staff at Justice At Last help even more survivors and expand our services."
Read more about Somita
Joy Thompson, Vice Chair
“I am excited to join the leadership team of the Board of Directors, at Justice At Last. I am committed to the work of spreading awareness about trafficking, addressing the root causes, amplifying the voices of those directly impacted, and eradicating trafficking altogether.”
Read more about Joy
Ruth Silver Taube, Director
“I relinquished my position as Vice Chair of the Board on the condition that a person of color would replace me because I believe that diverse leadership is critical to any organization and especially to a human trafficking nonprofit. I am thrilled that Joy has agreed to replace me because I am so impressed with her.”
Read more about Ruth
With further intention of making our leadership diverse, equitable, inclusive and ensuring belonging, please join us in welcoming our newest Directors Glenn Manlongat, Meryl Friedman and Swarnali Bag.
Justice At Last Board of Directors Newest Additions
Glenn Manlongat, Director
“I was inspired by the services Justice At Last provides to trafficked victims and hope to bring an elevated awareness of the organization to expand their reach and impact.”
Meryl Friedman, Director
"I joined the Justice At Last Board to be a part of an incredibly impactful, strategic, and holistic mission to help survivors of human trafficking."
Swarnali Bag, Director
"Being a victim of a kidnapping attempt myself, I joined Justice At Last so I can help human trafficking survivors have a better, respectable life on their own terms and experience freedom again."
Please don’t forget to check out our entire amazing Board of Directors.
And we are not stopping there. Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee has made a commitment to doing equity work by creating a diversity pledge that each Director will sign. Further, the Board of Directors, the Executive Director and all Staff will be working with consultants who are experts in helping organizations identify their own diversity gaps and assist with providing the tools needed to help promote change to improve the lives of others. Indeed, because our mission is helping empower trafficked persons seek justice on their own terms we know that diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are critical to our work in the anti-trafficking movement.
#GivingJustice2021
Did you know that World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is July 30th, 2021? To coincide with of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Justice At Last will be launching our annual fundraiser on July 30th.
This year our awareness and fundraising campaign, #GivingJustice2021 will run from July 30th until August 15th. If you would like to help us fundraise or contribute to our matching gift to double our impact please email us at giving@justiceatlast.org.
To get a head start on fundraising please feel free to donate here today.