Statement on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.NEW

Pursuing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is a moral imperative for The Humanist Society (THS) and integral to our understanding of the humanist worldview.

We are aware that inadequate laws and implementation disproportionately harm Black, Brown, Asian, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and other communities often targeted by society for discrimination. We recognize these injustices are born of longstanding systemic inequalities, and are forms of continued systemic oppression.

THS commits to holding ourselves accountable to ensure equity is embedded in our operations and processes. Our goal is to create an environment that is inclusive, respectful, and equitable, and to endorse people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives to accomplish the mission of the THS. We are also committed to the lifelong learning that is required for effective diversity and inclusion work.

We seek to be humble yet bold in this endeavor, open and without defensiveness. We hope to identify, encourage, endorse and support people that better reflect our changing nation. We will make mistakes and missteps as we grow, but we will always try to learn from them. We invite our community – our celebrants and chaplains, supporters and partners, and the general public – to join us on this journey so that together we can better advance the principles of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.

• We will foster and sustain an environment of inclusion, equity, and diversity through training, recruitment, and peer support.
• We will challenge long held opinions and assumptions and act in order to change them.
• We will evaluate and rectify organizational structures, policies, and practices that cause differential impact and limit access and opportunities for all chaplains, celebrants, and those they serve
• We will foster a culture of respect and inclusion that values the experiences and perspectives of all of our chaplains, celebrants, and those they serve
• We will address intergroup disparities in representation and retention through consistent dialogue and training, and intentional efforts to make our environment welcoming to individuals from underrepresented groups.
• We will support and advance a diverse collective and make intentional efforts to recruit individuals from underrepresented groups.
• We will provide resources and programs to promote individuals that enhance our ability to reach our goals of diversity, inclusion, and equity.