Learning and Growing Together
We started a list of Resources on Social Justice and Racism that continues to grow and posted it on our website as a link from the Diversity and Equity Initiative page.
We started a Library of books on social justice, racism, and fiction by BIPOC authors from books loaned by club members to share with others. Our plan is to move the books to an Irvington Club “Little Library” by the side of the club to share with neighbors.
We took part in a Diversity Workshop provided by Elizabeth Denevi Ph.D who works with schools nationally to increase equity, promote diversity pedagogy, and implement strategic processes for growth and development.
We started a Book Club as a way for interested members to learn and grow in our understanding of systemic racism, white privilege, and what acting as anti-racists means. We’ve read and discussed:
Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving
Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist by Eli Saslow
How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram Kendi
You Won’t Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar
The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everybody by Heather McGhee
Our April 19th book is The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person by Frederick Joseph
Policy Changes
The Board voted unanimously to change our mission statement and core values. The mission reads “to share among our members and all communities a love of tennis that is distinguished by friendliness, diversity, equity, inclusiveness and accessibility.”
After more than a year of intensive work, the Board unanimously approved a plan developed by the Diversity and Equity Initiative to increase diversity in our membership. This Diversity Initiative gives members a chance to develop friendships with others from diverse lived experiences and cultures and gives us the diverse voices needed to grow to meet the goals of our mission statement; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access.
We have plans to have all staff and the Board of Trustees participate in diversity training as well as amplifying our expectations of staff that all members, new and old, feel welcome, heard and valued.
We also plan to match incoming individuals and/or families with a host member or family to make sure all new members feel welcome, included, make some connections and get engaged in club activities.
Community Outreach
We formed a partnership with Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School and encouraged interested members meaningful ways to get involved; helping with safety patrol, with composting, with snacks, and at Christmas fulfilling wish lists of kids from 14 families. On April 11th, club members will begin providing after school tennis lessons at the school for interested kids in 2nd through 5th grades.
We made a significant financial contribution to the Juneteenth Celebration Committee and several members played in the tournament. More of us plan to play this year. We hope this summer to coordinate with the Portland Tennis Center’s Juneteenth Committee to host a joint tennis event at the Club to benefit Kids N Tennis (KNT).
Members made monetary and equipment donations to Kids N Tennis that provides scholarships for kids to learn how to play tennis. We started with KNT a program called Tennis Pals where Irvington Club juniors play with KNT juniors.
We were awarded two grants from the USTA to work on DEI. One grant funded the work of a diversity consultant who met with some members of the Diversity and Equity Initiative and Board of Trustees (BOT). The second grant will be spent to support kids playing tennis (Portland Tennis and Education, Kids N Tennis and Tennis at MLK, Jr. Elementary School).
Events
We have hosted movie nights, speakers, workshops-trainings, youth identity groups, tennis mixers to invite people of color into the club and work parties to support the work of non-profit organizations.
We welcome all voices, ideas and participation. Hope you’ll join us!
We recognize this land we call home belonged to the Multnomah, Wasco, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Cowlitz and Molalla people until the Indian Removal Act of 1830 institutionalized the removal of Native people from their ancestral lands to make way for the white settlers. We acknowledge the painful injustices Portland’s estimated 58,000 Indigenous people will suffer. We support the programs, policies, and resources needed to heal and succeed.