As CMF members explore and embrace their equity journeys, the Barry Community Foundation has continued to lead conversations and learning opportunities around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the community it serves.

As CMF reported, Barry Community Foundation’s Courageous Conversations began in 2021, inspired by the national reckoning for racial justice in 2020.

As a community foundation serving a more rural community, Jillian Foster, director of Community Engagement at Barry Community Foundation, shared that they wanted to look at diversity from a racial lens but also how having a diverse group can benefit all in the community.

These virtual community conversations centered on DEI started as a three-part series held between Leadership Barry County, a program of the community foundation, Thornapple Arts Council and the Barry County Chamber of Commerce. The series focused on diversity, mental health for teens and adults, and implicit biases.

These conversations have since continued, covering three new topic areas. Foster shared that the series featured speakers discussing LGBTQIA+ allyship, environmental justice and disability advocacy.

Foster shared that the speakers leading the conversations represented diverse communities and informed participants without judgment.

“These conversations have been really helpful for those who have felt that they are alone in this work. The people who come want to know what the next steps they can take are. We are not trying to convince anyone to change their minds, we are just trying to get people to understand a larger worldview than the one they currently hold,” Foster said.

According to Foster, this programming has helped not only the community but also the community foundation’s board and staff.

“Our board has realized through this work that these topics are important and it is helpful to have a space where people can have brave conversations on difficult topics. Our staff also enjoy attending as it helps us all get a better understanding of those in our community whose voices aren’t always uplifted. I always come away from a session having learned something new and that is my hope for anyone who attends,” Foster said.

In a session during the CMF 50th Annual Conference in November, Foster along with Megan Lavell executive director of Thornapple Arts Council and Jennifer Heinzman president of the Barry County Chamber of Commerce, shared more about Courageous Conversations with our CMF community of philanthropy.

“I really appreciated CMF choosing us to share the work we are doing in our community in hopes that it will inspire others to host similar programming in their own communities,” Foster said.

The Courageous Conversations programming has brought together the community in many ways, promoting shared learning and new connections.

“You never know who you will reach with this work. We took part in the National Day of Racial Healing, and we had many new faces show up for the first time. Two of the new people work at another community foundation but live in Barry County. They said they didn’t know there were people in their community that were also dedicated to this kind of work. That made it all worth it to us to keep going and keep striving for a better community for all,” Foster said.

Foster shared that although this work can be difficult, the hope is that the community will continue to choose to be an ally.

“When you are in a place of personal or professional privilege it provides an opportunity to uplift others who might not have a voice. I think it is always worth providing places for people to advance their DEI efforts while learning yourself. You might not reach everyone, but you might reach one person and it could make all the difference,” Foster said.

Want more?

Read more about Courageous Conversations.

Learn more about Leadership Barry County.