Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area believes that diversity, equity and inclusion are essential parts of our mission to defend potential for kids in our community. We strive to embrace true representation through diversity of people and perspectives with inclusion in all areas of our organization so we can make a generational impact on our community through empowering mentorships.
As of 2021, we have officially welcomed our first Black-female CEO, Lillian Samuel, of our organization. Her perspective and voice is leading our staff to fight for social justice, ignite opportunities for equality, and encouragement for productive change. We know that having a leader like Lillian will only be a catalyst for our goals towards JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion).
In an effort to hold ourselves and others accountable, we pledge to pursue educational training, supply additional resources, and empower Littles, families and the greater community who face the pain and trauma that systemic racism has inflicted for generations.
We recognize that change won’t happen overnight, but through perseverance and passion, we must continue to do more to ensure that our staff and mentors receive training and support in cultural humility, implicit biases, and how to do this anti-racism work.
Together we affirm that every person has the opportunity to reach their full potential. We are committed to creating and cultivating a safe environment where all individuals feel respected and valued equally. We are committed to a nondiscriminatory and anti-racist approach and are committed to dismantling any inequities within our policies, systems, programs and services.