Widerstand Consulting

Our March newsletter is here! Check it out below. https://lnkd.in/e6e_wbDq

Widerstand's team is spread across the country, and we had the rare opportunity to connect in person for this year's Hope for the Future Conference held in Goshen, IN.

An excerpt from Widerstand's February newsletter: "Everything is changing quickly around?us,?and we are all reacting to the moment in different ways. The work of involving people from different parts of our community needs to continue. Ensuring that those people from across our community are included in everything we do must continue. We need to continue to meet our communities where they are, recognizing that different parts of our communities will have different needs. Finally, we need to ensure that what we do is available and usable by as many people as possible. Did you notice the language I used above?and the words I didn’t use??Some organizations that want to continue their DEIA work are thinking about how to change their language, so it is less objectionable. A change in language could help some organizations keep their funding. For others, a pivot in their language could allow them to continue this vital work without incurring the?anger?of?community members who think DEI should go away.?As humans, we have always shifted our language when we needed to. I don’t see that shift as a defeat, but as recognizing that what we do is more important than the words we use." Read the entire article at: https://lnkd.in/ercgU7vk #DEIA #DEI #language

The New York Times has created a list of words and phrases, which our current federal Administration is no longer using. These are words that many companies, nonprofits, and educational institutions are being prompted to remove from their websites and documents. If you need to reword your website, marketing materials, or other documents, think of the results your efforts are meant to achieve and consider if focusing on those results help you create new wording. For example, it could be that your efforts are focused on improving recruitment and retention, expanding client/customer demographics, or achieving organizational goals. #WordSmithing #ExecutiveOrders #2025 #OrganizationalGoals #Recruitment #Retention https://lnkd.in/eQ2pYxTF

“Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Photo by Marion S. Trikosko

Do not fall victim to believing your efforts in this area are without importance. Irish philosopher Edmund Buke said “Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little”. Along those same lines, it is critical to remember that impacting social justice change is a marathon, not a sprint. Your efforts will require both diligence and pacing. – Murray Pierce in?Staying the Course Amidst the Superficial W.O.W Factor: How the Current “War on Woke?“Presents Both Peril and Opportunity?(2025)

"CFOs are responsible for financial stability, operational efficiency, and workforce risk management. Yet, many organizations fail to account for a preventable financial drain: workforce disconnection. Employees who lack a sense of belonging are more likely to disengage, underperform, and leave—driving up costs and slowing execution." In this moment, it is important to focus on why we are focused on the cultures within our institutions. There is indeed a positive financial impact when employees understand and feel that they belong. And a negative financial impact when they don't. #OrganizationalCulture #Belonging #CFO #Turnover #Retention #FinancialImpact #Culture https://lnkd.in/e9fe_qTz

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” – Langston Hughes (1901-1967) #BlackAuthors

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” – Alice Walker #BlackAuthors