The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) committee, established in 2021, is a standing committee of the IMCC Board of Directors. The following statement of purpose was drafted by the DEIJ Committee on behalf of the sangha. It is a living document which will, no doubt, continue to evolve as our sangha changes and the community of which we are a part changes.
Sarah Adams (she/her) serves as our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Coordinator. This role works to support IMCC to be a welcoming, engaged, and equitable community where all may find refuge, connection, and a path toward liberation. The DEIJ Coordinator’s responsibility is to form new Racial Affinity Groups (RAG) and coordinate special and whole sangha DEIJ-focused events.
Sarah started meditating in her early twenties after the gentle nudge of a close friend. She found IMCC in 2018 after attending an offering on “Sitting with Whiteness.” Sarah is an active member of the Expanding Light Sangha and enjoys her role as IMCC’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Coordinator and leading Racial Affinity Groups. Professionally, Sarah has a degree in data science and works in healthcare quality and patient safety. In her spare time, Sarah loves traveling, reading, performing with her improv troupe, crafting, and getting creative.
IMCC is committed to creating a socially aware, welcoming, and open-hearted refuge where all can benefit from the teachings of the Buddha (dharma), including people of color, members of the LGBTQIA2+ community, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented communities. Historically, IMCC has not been a place of inclusion and equity where marginalized groups have felt they belonged, and therefore our sangha does not currently reflect our larger community. IMCC is committed to addressing the barriers that have kept people from finding a spiritual home here. We aim to provide a safe space for our practitioners to explore and learn the dharma, based upon a deep cultural humility that openly acknowledges and actively seeks to incorporate our community’s diverse backgrounds and current experiences. To this end, IMCC has created a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice committee which includes members of the Board as well as sangha members. We pledge to proceed with curiosity, inquiry, and reflection. This effort will be a shared responsibility throughout our sangha. We are committed to a socially engaged Buddhism that actively fosters equity within our sangha and through service to our surrounding community. Our practice is not just about individual awakening, enlightenment, and freedom, but about our collective journey and transformation toward a shared experience of wisdom and justice. Interdependence with the world of suffering beings is embodied in the Buddhist vision of the bodhisattva, the inspired practitioner who vows to awaken in support of the liberation of all beings.
It is our intention to be a community that embodies:
• Diversity
– acknowledging and valuing differences based on race, sexual
orientation, gender, gender expression, age, class, wealth, education,
abilities, background, opinions, experience, and other social and
economic differences.
• Equity
– meeting people where they are while removing barriers to success and
not treating everyone the same. It means dissecting the broken parts
with a sincere desire to learn and understand (without judgment).
• Inclusion
– creating an environment that supports a sense of belonging for people
from diverse social groups, allowing us to awaken together.
• Justice – extending our inward awakening outward into the “external” realm of collective healing and liberation, the expression of compassion for the suffering of the world.
• Cultural humility – using our beginner ’s
mind enables us to listen, reflect, become aware of power and
privilege, hear a multiplicity of voices, learn from one another, and
create a safe space.
This commitment to creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive sangha is a reflection of dharma in action. | On March 30, 2021 the DEIJ Committee Members presented the statement of purpose to the sangha. Committee Members: Laura DeVault, Board member Philip Dupont, Board member Susan Kaufman, Bd. member Barbara Maille, Board membe, Sangha member Ann Marie Smith, Bd. member Bev Wann, Sangha member |