Naming the Thing, Holding the Hope

My upbringing in some of Pittsburgh’s Black neighborhoods influenced a boundless belief in education and what it could facilitate. My experiences from that birthplace to where I now call home, Harrisburg PA, refined and deepened that understanding. I have come to believe that race will have an impact on how I move and am permitted to move through this world, always.

This background, along with a strong belief in community-based and community-focused organizations, motivated me to accept PANO’s offer to join in their work of elevating the voices of leaders of color in the nonprofit community. Nonprofit organizations, from the people who lead them to the communities supported by them, are often adversely impacted by policies and practices that are often not designed for or created with the unique realities of organizations led by people of color and their communities in mind. It was empowering to be able to continue the work of interrogating, through a racial justice lens, the guidance provided by the Standards for Excellence accreditation materials used within Pennsylvania’s nonprofit community.

Each virtual community or cohort looked at a topic within the Standards of Excellence such as board governance, resource development, and public awareness. Participants’ close review and our discussion included any forms, manuals and policies associated with the standard as well as the standard itself. Cohort representatives were drawn from diverse nonprofit organizations of sizes ranging from state-wide entities to grassroots advocates of historic Black cemeteries in the Harrisburg area.

My own Christian faith and that of my forbears inspires a hope that motivates me. Together, we held that hope at the center of the conversations I led around improving current policies and practices.

Sometimes, though, the special nature of the communities the leaders and I built gently swerved into spaces of simply listening to and supporting each other. We gave each other respite from the machinations of control and power hiding inside benevolence and philanthropy.

There were also times when our experiences and perspectives challenged each other—but we always owned our own truths with care and respect. It was a privilege to hear participants’ ideas for radical inclusion of community members into the work of organizations erected to support them, as well as learn about the guard rails needed to safeguard an organization even as the community evolves.

A particularly striking observation was shared by a participant in an early conversation that pinpointed the center of our work. Her comment was that no single leader of color, regardless of their education, breadth or depth of experience can alone change the trajectory of an organization; only changes to policy and the practices that flow from it have that power. This understanding underscored why we looked at these nonprofit standards at all.  Her observation affirmed the heart, soul and rationale for the conversations we held over three years and the thematic analysis that came from it. The experience was one of gratitude and growth that I will always remember and treasure.

Kevin E. Burrell joined PANO in 2021 as the Strategic Initiatives Project Manager. Before that, he spent 21 years with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, including a role in the Office of Developmental Programs, which supported individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders. He holds a Master’s degree in Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh with a specialization in nonprofit agency management.

This post is part of our series looking at the Standards For All Report and Values to Action Roadmap released earlier this year. Here are links to the other posts in the series so far: 

• Standards For All: What PANO Heard, and Where We Go From Here