OUR COMMITMENT

Kensington believes that equal opportunities and equitable outcomes must exist for all. We are committed to developing and supporting a robustly diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, where all members create and feel a sense of belonging. Through our collective deliberate efforts and community partnerships, Kensington provides a basis for social justice and equality. 

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Valuing the diversity of partnering organizations serves to engage a broad range, both in size and scope, of schools and other organizations in which we serve:

• Geographic location, urban, rural, suburban and international communities;

• Government, religious, public, private, for-profit and non-profit organizations.

 

HOW KENSINGTON ENACTS ITS COMMITMENT

The drive toward diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and social justice is an ongoing process and requires us to identify and address both unintended/intended and visible/invisible barriers arising from bias, discrimination, racism, and organizational structures that support such attitudes and actions. To create the desired impact, Kensington:

• Champions its partners to embrace organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to advance all facets of their work environment, as well as its own.

• Facilitates the exchange of diverse perspectives of our internal processes and partners.

• Embraces and derives value from the variety of views that diverse organizations and individuals bring to achieve inclusive excellence in all that we do.

• Implements initiatives that support diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of our collective endeavors as well as creates a supportive learning environment that encompasses communication of diverse perspectives, experiences, and realities.

• Makes concerted efforts to conduct outreach and engage individuals representing such organizations for service on the Kensington Board and in activities.

• Establishes inclusive and equitable practices. We seek partnerships who embrace diversity, equity and inclusion, including, but not limited to: 

  • Ethnicity, race, culture; sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression; age; differences in ability; immigration status, nationality, national origin; education; socio-economic status; family structure; military/veteran status; religious/non-religious beliefs; and local, state, nationally recognized groups/organizations.

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DEFINITIONS

Kensington offers the definitions below to clarify its intent to include all individuals and organizations that embrace diversity, equity and inclusion in our communities:

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BIPOC refers to Black, Indigenous and People of Color.

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Diversity refers to group social differences such as race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual-orientation, gender preferences, country of origin, dis/ability, cultural, political, religious, or other group affiliations.

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Equity means acknowledging and making adjustments to address the consequences of a long history of prejudice and discriminatory treatment that continues and has a negative impact on Black, Brown, Indigenous, and marginalized communities. 

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Inclusive practices are those that include an active, intentional, meaningful, and equitable engagement across the diversity of the Kensington community. Recognizing our diversity while meaningfully engaging it facilitates greater awareness, knowledge, understanding of the complex ways individuals engage within communities. Building these skills and abilities among our team and partners will begin to address past injustices and lay a strong foundation for equitable success for our organization and the communities it serves.   

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Belonging refers to the perceived support, feeling of connectedness, and experience of community among peers and colleagues within the association. Belonging is a process of building a foundation through diversity, equity, and inclusive practices that cultivates the cornerstone of engagement in our community.

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Social justice has several elements that affect many areas of public policy and public administration; it is fair treatment of all people in a society, including respect for the rights of people who have been marginalized, particularly BIPOC, and the equitable distribution of resources, access and services.  Additionally, it is the fairness manifested in society through healthcare, gender equality, reproductive rights, education, employment, and voting; and it imposes personal responsibility to collaborate with others to design and continually perfect institutions as tools for personal and social development.

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