One year ago, Chrysalis made a commitment to standing in solidarity with those fighting against racial inequities in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and Jacob Blake.

Though our work is centered around direct services, we recognized that we had not just an opportunity but an obligation to advocate and seek social justice. We knew we could do more to support our community and with guidance from Chrysalis staff, we began taking steps to become actively anti-racist within our organization.

One of the first steps Chrysalis took was reimagining our DEI Steering Committee as an action-based group that would not only ensure the organization was making progress on our DEI Action Plan, but lead the charge – as well as manage modifications and additions to the action items. Since then, the DEI Committee – with the support of the rest of the organization – has:

  • Welcomed more members from our Chrysalis Enterprises and Finance & IT departments, as well as our Director of HR, in order to be more equitable.
  • Spearheaded the creation of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), such as the BIPOC Group, which seeks to influence the policies and culture of Chrysalis with the aim of creating a safe space that celebrates diversity and the experiences of staff of color through the installation of equitable practices.
  • Rewritten the Chrysalis Employee Handbook with a DEI lens in order to clarify workplace policies and amend those that no longer aligned with the organization’s values.
  • Audited and approved new trainings, such as unconscious bias webinars, ethical communications guides, and an anti-racism workshop.
  • Overseen the creation of a DEI landing page on our website, and more.

Chrysalis focused efforts on supporting BIPOC-owned businesses in Southern California, modifying work hours and policies for permanent and transitional staff in order to be more accommodating of varying schedules and circumstances. Beginning last summer, we also now provide Justice Work Free Days, and during the 2020 elections, Chrysalis publicly endorsed a slate of ballot propositions and measures that would impact the lives of those we serve. In light of the recent uptick in hate crimes against Asians and Pacific Islanders this Spring, the Chrysalis community and staff came together once again to share resources and create space for difficult yet important conversations, including welcoming guest speakers to discuss direct action opportunities with the BIPOC Group.

While our communities have learned much over the past year and progress is underway, there is still more to be done to support BIPOC every day. As we make our way through 2021, at Chrysalis, we are continuing to hold conversations with community leaders, our supporters, staff, and clients to make tangible change in our workplace culture and in the community beyond our walls.

We are committed to remaining open to learning and to continuing to share with our larger community. We encourage you to email DEI@ChangeLives.org if you have ideas and feedback.