The recent tragic deaths of Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement are shining the light for many of us on systemic racism that has been deeply rooted in our culture for centuries. This needless loss of human life stopped me in my tracks, and I’ve been reflecting on who Ellivate is as a community and what we stand for.
Ellivate’s mission is to elevate the collective impact of women entrepreneurs, so we can maximize our positive impact in the world. Through the magic of collaboration, we accelerate our learning and amplify our individual and collective impact.
We create a space for women business owners to cultivate and enjoy the feminine aspects of leadership with the masculine aspects that the world has been built on, so we can bring a more balanced form of leadership to the world – where we lead with our hearts and our minds, where we seek collaboration instead of competition, where we can choose and instead of or, where we share power with instead of holding power over others.
So what does this have to do with systemic racism? The system was built on a foundation of power over others. It was built to divide, rather than unite. We need feminine leadership ideals – creativity, adaptability, nurturing, collaboration, vulnerability, compassion and LOVE – to shift to a more balanced world.
We create the world collectively, and to create a better world, we need:
- All voices represented. We must expand our individual perspectives to encompass those of others.
- Safe spaces to get uncomfortable, explore and grow. We must look within and challenge our beliefs, uncover implicit bias and identify the role we each unwittingly play in perpetuating racism.
- To let go of perfection. The desire to “get things right” can paralyze us. We must be willing to do the best we can, make mistakes, learn and keep moving forward.
- To commit for the long haul. The system was built over hundreds of years. It will take a consistent investment of time and energy to dismantle it and create something new – a lifelong journey.
At Ellivate, we are committed to doing our part to create a more just world. In addition to donating to community bail funds, mutual aid funds and racial justice organizers, Ellivate sister, Leandra Blei, and I are launching Ellivate Aware: An Educational Series on Recognizing Racism and Inspiring Action to cultivate a deeper level of learning, perspective sharing and inspired action. This new, bi-weekly series is now included as an additional benefit of membership in the Ellivate Alliance.
When we each make change in our own corner of the world, our ripples create great waves of change.
With deep love and gratitude,
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