Racial Equity: Our North Star 💫

Disclaimer: This is a living document meaning it evolves and changes with HIP’s racial equity journey

The North Star:

HIP proudly embodies the richly diverse cultures that makeup Latin America and people of Latin America descent in the US. Indigenous, Black, Brown, LGBTQ+, and nonbinary communities are centered to heal relationships and build new systems that serve us all. We lead by weaving a new narrative true to our complex stories and leveraging power and privilege to co-create cultures of belonging that enable us to play a powerful role in fully transforming America towards equity.

Vision

HIP has the opportunity to lead by taking time to understand the impact race can have when advancing equity in all that we do, and by lifting the voices of the different communities that sit in the margins of society and our work.

The aim is to focus on the priorities identified by  the communities we serve over what the existing  philanthropic norm is. Additionally, this work seeks to name and practice walking away from WHITENESS, which is really embedded in many practices internally. This process will help to detach from US centric narratives and really represent the AMERICAS.

Our Model: Living Into the Complexity of Who We Are:

HIP is made up of a diverse Latinx and Latin American community with a transnational footprint and it represents an even more diverse group of people across the Americas and the Carribbeans.  We intentionally engage with Black and Indigenous people of the Americas and provide platforms for these communities to exercise leadership in driving the narratives of who they are and the strategy for how to achieve change through a bottom up approach. 

Goal: Co-creating Cultures of Belonging

We are intentionally curating spaces of safety and belonging. All people, especially Black, Indigenous, Brown, disabled, transgender and nonbinary people feel seen, heard and represented. People communicate in the languages they are most comfortable in, and they see their stories uplifted. We continually and transparently evolve a set of values to implement that are shared and embraced by all participants.  

HIP is a role model in the philanthropic ecosystem space framing the role Latinxs can play in the Movement for Black Lives, Gender Equity and in uplifting Indigenous sovereignty. We have extended networks and actively leverage relationships and resources to support multi-racial movement building with grassroot organizations on a transnational level.

Strategy: Leveraging Power and Privilege in Service of Building Equity

Understanding how Latinx people have been racialized in the US and the Americas, including the on-going and complete disposition of indigenous communities in central and south america because of climate change, violent targeting attacks on people of African descent, the growing violence against trans communities - HIP as an organization and staff, are able to unapologetically challenge white supremist structures and build a pathway towards racial equity.  HIP disrupts the US mainstream’s desire to seduce Latinx people into whiteness.

HIP builds powerful co-conspirator relationships with Black and Indigenous organizations in the US and in Latin America and supports democratizing philanthropy so that those who have been marginalized not only have a seat at the table, but they also have decision making power.

Last update: FEB 2023