Definitions of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)
JUUstice Washington defines equity as a state in which each of us has access to the resources—such as opportunities, connections, and power—we need to thrive and reach our full potential. Equity inherently includes an effective response to the past and present impact of systems of privilege and oppression. And, equity is a state in which outcomes cannot be predicted from social characteristics.
We define diversity as a state of variety in a group of people across social characteristics, including sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, language, race, color, culture, ethnicity, nationality, national origin, marital status, geography, immigration status, generation, religion, ability, age, and physical appearance. Diversity in an organization—for example, among its leadership, staff, and membership—is a marker for the degree to which the community it seeks to serve is represented within the organization.
We define inclusion as the equitable welcoming, valuing, and application of the skills, experience, perspectives, ideas, contributions, and needs of everyone within a diverse group across all areas of the internal and external functioning of that group, such as leadership, service provision, and service receipt.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Position Statement of JUUstice Washington
JUUstice Washington is committed to the increasing, measurable manifestation of our valuing of equity, diversity, and inclusion in all of our work.
We acknowledge the contributions our founding organizations have made to helping build a more just and sustainable world, as well as the historical reality of insufficient equity, diversity, and inclusion in the functioning of these institutions.
We commit to transparency and accountability as we track our EDI progress going forward.
We share a determination to bring together, value, and leverage diverse wisdom, skill, and perspectives as we become our vision and accomplish our mission in the world:
Vision: We envision ourselves as a diverse and spiritually grounded organization that empowers people to work towards a just world in which all people thrive. Our vision is inspired by our commitment to each other and to the interdependent web of life of which we are all a part.
Mission: We strive to inspire, educate, empower, and nurture the capacity of Unitarian Universalists (UUs), as well as our community allies, to collaboratively advocate for and undertake social and environmental justice initiatives. We support legislative change that aligns with our UU values in Washington state and beyond.