The moments when we learn together with our partners create some of the most powerful and impactful tools for us to align around and act upon. Our partners include the family we work with; fellow staff at the Foundation; our professional partners in the field who have dedicated their lives to changemaking; and our neighbors who live closest to the issues we hope to face together, are generously sharing their power, and are allowing us to work alongside them.
The Fisher Foundation’s Gratitude Series is a collection of short summaries of the lessons we’ve learned together with our partners, housed here so they are available for anyone at any time. Centered in gratitude and acknowledging the source, our hope is more changemakers, decisionmakers, and leaders learn these lessons and share them widely.
The importance of words and the value of listening
Last year, Pam Weaver, Gwen Shivers and all the high quality early childhood educators in Detroit’s Brightmoor neighborhood, known as the Brightmoor Quality Initiative (BQI), taught me a lesson I will never forget. I encourage you to read the whole story, The power of words and the value of listening, a piece I was so proud Crain’s Detroit Business published.
A lesson I will never forget: No matter how hard I try, I have blind spots. When Pam, Gwen, and the women of BQI told us that the “program officer” titles we use for our team made them think their work would be policed, my ears and my heart heard something they hadn’t before. The use of a term that to me relates to respect and professional positions within an organization, means something so very different to our partners in Brightmoor. I knew about “The Talk.” As a white father I knew my white children (now 24 and 21) didn’t get or need it – and I knew that wasn’t justice. I will never hear that term the same way again.
How it changed my team forever: After working with BQI on alternative titles we came up with “program partner” to better reflect both our intentions and our aspirational impact on each other. We will forever be changed by this lesson.
Working to ensure the field learns this lesson: Gwen and Pam have written an amazing article to tell their story with our peers throughout the for-impact (what some call non-profit — words are important aren’t they?) sector. We’ve pitched it to one of the major publications in our industry twice to no avail; once in January of this year and a second time right after George Floyd’s murder. Both times the outlet said they felt it might not be taken “the right way.” We’re going to keep trying to share their words widely so more people can benefit from this lesson.
– Doug Bitonti Stewart, Executive Director, Max. M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation
