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Embracing the Mission:
All the Small Lights
Maia Taub, Program Manager of Custody & Visitation
Change comes with the turn of every season. We forget sometimes, just as humans, that change is inevitable and also survivable. We're creatures who need community to thrive, and when we're in community, we live by common values. It is in that spirit that I want to reiterate the mission and vision of CDS’s Racial Equity Leadership Committee (RELC) and what they mean to me as co-chair.
RELC's mission is to ensure humanity and dignity are afforded to everyone (ALL) who walks through our doors. From the moment we greet our clients, our volunteers, our allies, and each other, that humanity and dignity are owed. We owe humanity and dignity to our clients, volunteers, allies, donors, and each other.
The human condition is such that every one of us has a reason for what we choose to do. We may not always approve of the actions of those around us, but we can come out of that conflict mindset of weakness and self-absorption, into strength and self-determination. We can stop centering ourselves and consider other perspectives, and in doing so better understand each other.
RELC's vision is to "establish an organizational culture that ensures diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices are present in all we do". DEIB – diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion – are the logical extension of a mission that embraces humanity and dignity. We acknowledge that we are many and bright and beautiful in our differences. We acknowledge that what helps one person may not do another person any good, and so we adapt our approach: how can we meet their needs? We welcome them into the fold just as they are. We make room for everyone at the table who wants to be there.
Living into these values can be hard in times of change, when we face the unknown. Remember that weakness and self-absorption part? That's a perfectly normal part of the transformative model of mediation. We acknowledge that people operating from what they perceive as a position of disadvantage are naturally going to look out for their own interests. CDS, through dialogue and education, seeks to help people in conflict, facing change. They begin to see that they are not the only ones in that position, and so come to recognize that everyone in the situation is merely and utterly human. This is how we build strength. We see that we do have agency even in what seems like a hopeless mire. Maybe it's not hopeless after all, if we're not the only ones feeling that way. Maybe the way out of the muck is to work together to rise.
I can only remember the lesson of Miep Gies, who hid Anne Frank and her compatriots in an attic in a desperate attempt to save their lives – she famously said that “even an ordinary secretary or housewife or teenager can turn on a small light in a dark room.” I am no more special than a secretary or housewife or teenager. So I will turn on all the small lights in this, the darkest season of the year, and hope that you will join me in doing the same.
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