Statement
Our Commitment to Equity
Osborne welcomes and supports LGBTQIA people and those who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
We are united in our pursuit of racial justice and equity.
Racial justice and equity begin with acknowledging the historical oppression and dehumanization of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, manifest through slavery and the genocide of native peoples, and the persistence of this legacy in our present-day systems and relationships. We feel deeply the threats to Black and brown people and the opportunities for transformation alive in the present moment. We celebrate the different elements that intersect to form a person’s identity, and we recognize that these factors, along with race, affect a person’s vulnerability to oppression. Holding this knowledge, we commit to pursue just treatment, equitable possibilities, and liberation for people of all races.
We pursue racial justice and equity in our work.
We pursue racial justice both because it is a vital human value and because it is the work of Osborne, fundamentally, to challenge and change a racist system. We design our programs to ensure that participants are the architects of their transformation. We ignite their leadership in civic engagement and activism to reform the systems that affect them. We advocate dismantling barriers faced by people with criminal legal involvement.
We pursue racial justice and equity in our workplace as well.
We are the communities we serve. We are committed to representing these communities at every level of the organization. These communities include people of color and those affected by the criminal legal system and immigrants, LGBTQIA people, people with disabilities, and others subject to systemic oppression. We value the perspective and knowledge that life experience, including the experience of incarceration, brings to our work. We seek to implement policies and practices for our workforce that advance equitable outcomes. We use training to ensure that staff and participants’ diverse experiences and backgrounds are supported and understood. We aim for our organization to model the world that we work to bring about—one in which people of all cultures, abilities, and identities thrive.
Osborne is united in our pursuit of justice and equity and committed to creating equitable and affirming environments for our staff and participants.
We envision an Osborne that is a partner, ally, advocate, connector, and brave space for those in the LGBTQGNCIA community. We strive to take an intersectional and responsive approach and incorporate the community’s perspectives and knowledge to guide our work. With the knowledge that the LGBTQGNCIA community is at increased risk of incarceration and discrimination at all stages of criminal justice involvement, we are committed to addressing the community’s needs and working against heterosexism and cissexism within structural systems.