Our Approach
The Opportunity
Rising Together
We seek to leverage our unique assets and strengths to bring together individual leaders and organizations currently engaged in health equity and justice work. We can collectively identify shared solutions, effective frameworks, and emerging practices for the health care ecosystem for mobilization and collective coordinated action.
Our Guiding Values
Our Principles for Change
1. Recognize that inequities harm all of us
The inequities in our health care ecosystem have mortal consequences for all of us. Improving the system for those who would most benefit inevitably leads to a better system and outcomes for everyone.
2. Right the injustices of the past
Examining, acknowledging, and addressing past harms is necessary for our collective healing.
3. Advance transformational narratives
Narratives that elevate our shared humanity, that are deeply felt, and that make equity commonsense, have power to inspire individuals and organizations to take action.
4. Center and integrate the experiences, expertise, and ideas of those most harmed
Pragmatic solutions must be prioritized and designed through collaboration and leadership with people and communities that have been systematically excluded from decision-making opportunities.
5. Apply strategies that address root causes of inequities
In order to achieve health equity, we must reallocate resources to address the root political, structural, and social causes that produce differential harms and outcomes.
6. Build solidarity and coordinate efforts
To solve complex, deeply rooted, and interconnected social problems such as racism or classism, we must come together across differences to build strength and power through community, shared understanding, wisdom, and coordinated effort.
7. Adopt a "Race AND” approach
We lead with racism but never to the exclusion of other "isms" (i.e., forms of oppression) because not doing so (i.e., colorblind efforts) inevitably leaves communities of color behind. Therefore, we seek to address all areas of oppression, such as classism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and ableism, with consideration for their overlapping impacts with racism.
8. Implement an “inside-outside” approach to organizational transformation
To achieve positive and equitable external impacts, it is necessary to begin by embedding equity within your organization.