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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement

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Campus Election Engagement Project’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

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Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) is dedicated to promoting and embracing diversity, equity and inclusion as core values of the organization that are critical to personal development, community well-being and organizational growth. At the core of our work, we are pursuing, promoting and protecting our democracy.

  • Diversity is the presence of differences and comprises everything from one’s race or ethnicity to one’s gender or sexual orientation to one’s political point of view. Diversity is the right of all Americans to vote, regardless of differences.
  • Equity is promoting justice for all, while taking into account disparities that currently exist within society. Equity means ensuring that all Americans have access to the ballot, while recognizing that not all voters enjoy equal access.
  • Inclusion is an outcome achieved when everyone is and feels welcome. Inclusion means that all eligible voters successfully cast a vote.

We at CEEP acknowledge the historical legacy of white supremacy and all other forms of exclusion in the broadest, most institutionalized sense. We recognize that power imbalances, institutional and other implicit biases, and systems of oppression stand in the way of CEEP staff and those who CEEP seeks to serve achieve their potential and can result in individual and community discomfort and distrust. We at CEEP recognize that we are implicated in the same systems of inequity and injustice as every other institution and organization in the United States.

We believe that racism, marginalization and discrimination occur with and without malicious intent, not only by the isolated actions of individuals, but also by the policies and practices of organizations such as CEEP. Whether intentional or unintentional, individual or organizational, this behavior is harmful and dehumanizing and has adverse effects on our staff and our community.

We at CEEP strive to cultivate a culture of authenticity and actively build an organization  that is comprised of individuals who bring diversity in their background, culture and life experiences. We are conscious of the fact that, in a diverse environment, serious exploration of social issues may generate conflict and/or tension, and we see this as an opportunity to practice openness, humility, curiosity and empathy while engaging across differences and commonalities.

We commit to fostering an environment where all individuals can truly learn, teach, work and engage with one another regardless of ability, age, culture, education level, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, life experience, military status, nationality, perspective, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status—one that is free from the insidious and debilitating effects of marginalization and discrimination.

To uphold this commitment, we will work to do the following:

  • Learn about and dismantle systems of privilege, inequality and oppression, and reform our behaviors, programs, policies and practices accordingly. Importantly for CEEP, this includes a specific recognition of the work still to be done to guarantee equal access to our most basic democratic right to vote.
  • Identify and address the causes and effects of any marginalization and discrimination present in our organization.
  • Establish and implement policies and measurable practices that promote social justice, equity, inclusion and accountability, including, but not limited to, hiring and human resources management.
  • Employ programs that reflect the wide range of voices, perspectives and experiences of people in our organization, the community and the world.
  • Cultivate habits of telling our truths about the impact of bias, marginalization and discrimination, and listen to and accept this feedback as a resource for growth at the individual and organizational level.

We have created a staff-led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to drive this work and hold us accountable, and this group will have the full support of leadership and the Board of Directors.

This work is urgent and is a continuous process from which we will always be learning. We know and accept that we will make mistakes along the way, and we will own our responsibility for restorative action. We hold ourselves and one another accountable to the commitments and expectations in this statement.

Adopted Feb. 12, 2021

A PDF version of this page can be found here

 

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