Declaration of Inclusion

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one movement to declare its commitment to values that it holds to be fundamental to the success of its work and for the betterment of its communities, it is imperative that it openly and visibly embody these values.

One such value at the heart of the United Way movement is "inclusion": the active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity. By uniting individuals with unique backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking, we can collectively and more effectively address the issues facing our communities. Furthermore, to value diversity is to respect and appreciate all aspects of an individual, including race, religion, skin color, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, physical abilities, age, parental status, work and behavioral styles, and the perspectives of each individual as shaped by their nation, culture and experiences.

From this day forward:

I WILL commit to spending more time getting to know myself and understanding my culture; by understanding myself, I am better positioned to understand others.
I WILL acknowledge that I don’t know what I don’t know but will not use this lack of knowledge as an excuse.
I WILL assume positive intent.
I WILL commit to speaking up and speaking out, even when I am not directly impacted; there is no such thing as neutrality in the quest for equity, justice and inclusion.
I WILL strive to accept and not just tolerate; respect, even if I don’t agree; and be curious, not judgmental.
I WILL commit to working with others to transform Racine County into a place that treats people of all races, ethnicities, cultures, religions, skin colors, nationalities, sexual orientations, genders, physical abilities, ages, parental statuses, and work and behavioral styles with justice, equity and compassion.
I WILL strive daily to honor this pledge, knowing that the world will be a better place for my effort.

Take the pledge by submitting your name and email address. By doing so, you are committing to work every day on the items listed above. We all have work to do, and we are all at a different place in our journeys, so we ask that you take the pledge when you are ready to do so with full integrity.

By taking the pledge, you will join United Way of Racine County as we work to help our community build its "equity muscle." You will be added to our mailing list, and we will send you our quarterly diversity newsletter.