Bert Nash Center committed to the important work of racial equity

In June 2020, days after the murder of George Floyd, Bert Nash Center CEO Patrick Schmitz issued a statement on behalf of the organization in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Part of the statement included a commitment by the Center’s Executive Team to “undertake the important work of evaluating how implicit and unconscious bias are at work within our organization. This is a combination of personal work and organizational work, which we are committed to doing.”

In addition, the Bert Nash Center CEO said, “We will provide training and support for our staff to serve our community in culturally appropriate ways, recognizing with humility that this also means increasing our commitment to hiring a diverse team to serve our diverse community.

“I can and will do better. We can and will do better.”

As part of the ongoing commitment to continue the important work of racial equity, the Center is working with Dr. Danica Moore, equity consultant, and her organization, 4tified Educational Practices.

“I am excited to see where this goes and to watch folks develop in the work,” said Dr. Moore, who has also facilitated learning with Lawrence Public Schools, Boys and Girls Club, and served on panels with LMH Health.

Dr. Moore, who came to Lawrence in 2002, had worked with Bert Nash Center in-school therapists in the past through the WRAP (Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities) program when she was involved with Lawrence Public Schools.

“But I didn’t know about all of the different Bert Nash departments and how they function,” she said. “It has been eye-opening to see how much this organization has impacted and influenced our community.”

One of her first orders of business was to meet with each of the Bert Nash Center teams individually to hear directly from the BNC staff.

“It’s helpful for me to sit down with all the various departments,” Dr. Moore said. “These initial dialogues really help me understand an organization, to see what some common themes are, and to find out how people’s jobs align with equity.”

In her role as an equity facilitator and coach, Dr. Moore will work with the Bert Nash Center over the next three years, perhaps longer.

“A relationship with an organization develops over time,” she said. “To work toward equity takes a consistent collaboration over time. They didn’t want this to be a one-and-done, check the box and move on. They wanted something that would be sustainable.”

Dr. Moore’s work will involve the Bert Nash Center leadership team all the way through to the frontline staff.

“One of the first things we’re going to do is look at the strategic plan that is being drafted and think about how everyone engages in the mission statement in a way that carries out equity,” she said.

Robyn Burton, Bert Nash Center Community Engagement Coordinator, who is biracial — her mother is Indian and her dad is Black — is excited to see the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Belonging (IDEB) work the Center is doing.

“I grew up in a primarily white town, school, and neighborhood. Growing up I always wished there would be more people that looked like me in those communities, but I never really got to experience that before I left home. I want to be able to work to create a more inclusive and diverse environment that allows my children to feel a sense of belonging that I never got to have,” Robyn said. “Working at an organization that is actively working to grow and be better as it relates to IDEB work was number one on my list when applying to jobs, and I get to see firsthand what Bert Nash is doing to make these changes. As a community health organization, it is so important to constantly work to serve all community members, regarding race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or ability.”

Bert Nash Center therapist Samadia Saquee, who is Black/Sierra Leonean, said, “To me, diversity work is important because I truly believe that every person deserves to be seen, heard, and respected. Especially in the field of mental health and within Bert Nash, our mission is not fully fulfilled if we are not working toward making sure every individual has that experience when they access our services. My hope is that people walk away feeling like they were treated like a human being and that they felt understood.”