From the beginning, Vision Galveston has been rooted in the IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and accountability) core values and principles. We have spent the first half of the year building out our core initiatives, and we are looking forward to sharing those with you in detail over the coming months. Before sharing our next steps, we first want to reaffirm our organization’s support and commitment to our Black community.
We live in a diverse island community but all too often the voices of those who are heard do not reflect the diversity of our community, especially the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). The murder of George Floyd and the following outcry of anger, loss, and uncertainty has shown us that our community and organization still have much work to do moving forward. The institution of structural racism and discrimination has deeply rooted causes and long-lasting consequences. Vision Galveston stands with those groups and individuals striving passionately for wholesale change and reform. As an organization we are committed to supporting community partners in initiatives that forward and support the quality of life for all who live in, work in, and visit Galveston.
The entire organization is reaffirming its commitment to build from the IDEA core values and will continue to elevate the voices of our community that created Vision Galveston. Although we have made strides in engaging a wide scope of community members who reflect our Island’s demographics, significant gaps still exist between where we are right now and our Island’s goals of a more equitable community.
As an organization we commit to:
Continuing to have a diverse representation on all Vision Galveston boards and committees;
Inclusive community engagement practices, meeting people where they are so everyone can participate;
Evaluating each step of our process towards implementation of key recommendations with the lens of equity and inclusion
Partnering with organizations that hold our core values of inclusion and equity;
Hiring and collaborating with experts that hold the core values of equity and inclusion;
Listening to our community and creating opportunities for feedback;
Transparency in our process, data collection, and decision making.
We call on you as stakeholders of this vision to hold both Vision Galveston and our Galveston community accountable to the practice of equity and inclusion. Together we advance the vision for all our Island’s residents.
You can expect for our organization to be in touch on our growth and progress within the next few weeks and beyond. If you want to learn more about our initiatives and what we are working on in the meantime, please visit www.visiongalveston.com or send us an email at info@visiongalveston.com.
We are here for our community.