Representative Neighborhood
As adopted at our January 2022 Board Meeting, we aim to have representation from the following demographics by 2024. They are representative of the populations within Belknap Lookout:
- African American neighbors
- Hispanic neighbors
- LGBTQ+ neighbors
- Female neighbors
- Multigenerational neighbors
- Neighbors who rent
- Neighbors with disability
We welcome representation from neighborhood businesses as well.
Visit our Leadership Roles or Volunteer pages to further your engagement with your community!
Embedding Racial Equity in Policies and Activities
In 2022 NOBL has:
- Considered equity concerns while revising financial policies
- Continued to recruit board and committee membership that are representative of the demographics of our neighborhood
- Tried to increase participation in the Racial Equity learning opportunities
In 2023, we will update our HR Policies to reflect an equity lens and will implement our new Neighbor Stipend and Gratuity policy.
See more of our goals by reading through our 2021-2024 Strategic Plan
Addressing Microaggressions
As explained briefly on our Racial Equity 101 page, Microagressions are verbal and nonverbal behaviors. Many times they go unnoticed by the oppressor but are significantly harmful to the individual being oppressed. They communicate a hostile and/or negative message, whether this is intentional or unintentional. These actions often occur in everyday scenarios and go unacknowledged. By raising awareness we want to make it easier for individuals to recognize and address such discreet and casual statements.
Microaggressions take form in three ways:
- Microassaults: blatant and overt behavior that is easy to observe such as using slurs, avoiding a certain population, etc.
- Microinsults: subtle and covert commenting that the aggressor may even be unaware of themselves
- Microinvalidations: excluding and dismissive behavior that invalidates a person’s identity and experience
As a community we need to be aware of the potential ways we have or could be harming others without knowing. By the end of 2022, NOBL would particularly like to identify two moderators who can address these kinds of statements when they are used by neighbors on NextDoor.com.
Here are some examples:
- Racial
- Asking a person of color, “Where are you from?” or “Where were you born?” others them, assuming they are not American and are foreign without knowing anything other than their assumed race.
- LGBTQ+
- Sexuality based
- Saying “You don’t have to flaunt it,” in reference to an LGBTQ+ person or relationship is telling them that who they are or the state of their relationship is invalid.
- Trans and/or nonbinary
- Deadnaming is the practice of using “birth or former name without their consent.” This invalidates their identity and ability to express themselves by denying their chosen name.
- Misgendering is the practice of using the wrong pronouns. For example a female to male transgender person may use he/him pronouns, but using she/her pronouns is a microaggression against that man’s identity as a male.
- Sexuality based
- Gender
- Men not valuing the intelligence or opinion of women, which leads to systemic issues such as the gender wage gap.
- This can be seen through a man being uncomfortable being directed or led by a woman or interrupting during a meeting to essentially say the same thing.
- “Mansplaining” involved a man dumbing down a concept in an explanation to a woman, making the assumption she knows absolutely nothing on the topic to begin.
- Men not valuing the intelligence or opinion of women, which leads to systemic issues such as the gender wage gap.
Here are 3 steps to address microaggressive behavior:
- Recognize and address your own personal biases and shortcomings.
- Hold other individuals and organizations accountable for unjust behavior, policy, culture, etc
- Assess how our society introduces biases, prejudices, and stereotypes through education, policy, power structures, etc.