Leading with Equity in a Time of Transition
September 10, 2020Last month’s 57th anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, once again, reminded all of us to re-examine our work and the path forward. The words still resonate today and compel us to commit to renewed calls for justice and to fulfilling the work which remains undone. As the Board of the National Human Services Assembly, we have been engaged in such a process this summer. As a first action, we are proud to announce a strategic partnership with the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance).
Taking our lead from the best community-based equity models, we are incorporating an equity partnership to ensure we are listening and that our actions are meaningful. The National Assembly is partnering with the Alliance, an organization with a proud 47-year history of delivering front-line health and human services annually to over 15 million in underserved communities.
The Alliance will be providing management support to the National Assembly team and technical assistance and expertise as we establish priorities for action to deliver human services that provide opportunity for all to achieve their potential. The partnership will also allow our teams to come together, after COVID-19 closings, in the same physical space at the Alliance’s headquarters in order to foster an equity-focused work environment for the National Assembly staff.
The National Assembly’s member network is a powerful force that can help drive equity and justice in our nation. The human services provided by our members touch nearly every household in America. We commit to use this collective power as a bedrock of support for equity and justice so that this is the last generation that must bear the burden of systemic discrimination.
You will be hearing more from us over the coming months as the National Assembly builds on its history to expand our equity focused work and leadership. We welcome your thoughts, as members and partners of the Assembly, on priorities that you think are key and the kind of supports that would help your own efforts.
Please feel free to send your thoughts in an email to either Jeff Fleischer, National Assembly Board Chair, and/or Adolph Falcón, Alliance Executive VP. We thank you for your ongoing support and look forward to a new generation of partnership to foster more equitable and just communities.
Sincerely,
Jeff Fleischer
National Human Services Assembly Board Chair