The Association Blog

Jim Tedford renews The Association’s commitment to DEI

Dear Colleagues,

Without question, these are trying times for many of the most vulnerable among us. Programs intended to support people in need have suffered major cuts or have been dismantled altogether. Here in my community the local food bank recently announced that the USDA had cancelled shipment of nearly $1M in food they had planned to distribute to families in our region.

Programs supporting diversity, equity and inclusion were among the first targets on the new administration’s chopping block. Not only were federal programs axed, but institutions and organizations reliant upon federal funding have been forced to make difficult decisions about their own DEI work.

We are hearing from you, the leaders in the animal welfare space, that you, too, are concerned about the impacts on your organizations if you remain steadfast in your commitments to advancing DEI. At a time when our profession was gaining momentum in this important work, some organizations are feeling pressure to pull back. 

While every organization must conduct its own risk analysis, please know that your professional association remains committed to making animal welfare more diverse, equitable and inclusive of all. Our field simply cannot afford to continue leaving anyone behind. We are stronger together and our work requires that we include everyone in finding and implementing solutions to the problems we face. Our profession must represent and reflect the beautiful, diverse communities we serve.

A universal truth in animal welfare (and across the not-for-profit sector) is that organizations are heavily reliant upon the support and generosity of our donors and sponsors. And there will always be those donors who “vote” with their wallets and whose support is dependent upon your alignment with their way of thinking. Awhile back a member related a story of a donor who threatened to withdraw support simply because an organization’s leaders used their pronouns in their email signatures. A simple gesture of unity and solidarity intended to support all gender identities was somehow interpreted as offensive or threatening by this donor.

I have no more tolerance for bullies today than I did in elementary school. Doing the right thing is often hard, but it’s always right. The animal welfare movement has always required a great deal of courage and commitment and DEI work within our movement is no exception. In fact, we may need courage and commitment now more than ever.

We recently conducted a follow-up second survey on DEI in animal welfare. While we found some measurable progress, we also learned that we still have MUCH to do. The Association remains committed to helping you do that work. Over the next several months we will be offering webinars, roundtable discussions, resources on our website and spaces for frank, open discussions around the challenges we face.

Please take care of yourselves and each other during these difficult times.  And if there’s anything your association can do to support you and help you stay on track, just let us know.

 Jim