Our Commitment to Inclusion, Anti-Racism Work, and Ending White Supremacy

In June 2020, PFLAG National signed onto a letter of unity, committing to embracing anti-racism work and ending white supremacy. We signed this statement because for PFLAG National, this is not performative activism. PFLAG National has so much more work to do, but we are proud of the work that we’ve been engaged in to transform who we are and how we carry out our mission, work that started long before signing onto this joint letter.

Some of this work includes:

• In 2014, the formal establishment of a Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the PFLAG National Board of Directors, to drive board-level change around racial and ethnic inclusion (learn more in this issue of the PFLAGPole);
• In 2016, the passage of a Board-level Unity and Inclusion policy to center our ongoing efforts;
• Since early 2019, addressing racial inequities by investing in minority-owned depository institutions:
  • Industrial Bank, founded in 1934 and now the largest Black-owned bank in the United States;
  • River City Federal Credit Union, founded in 1936 and which has Juntos Avanzamos – Together We Advance – designation, a designation for credit unions committed to serving and empowering Hispanic consumers;
  • The National JACL Credit Union, sponsored and chartered in 1943 by members of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization in the United States; and
  • Bay Bank, founded in 1995 by the Oneida Nation and a group of five local businessmen, and since 2000, solely owned by the Oneida Nation.
• Continued intentional focus on racial and ethnic diversity on our National Board and National Staff. As of the start of FY 23 (Oct 1, 2022) The PFLAG National Board is nearly 50% Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and the PFLAG National staff is currently 33% BIPOC.
• The creation of PFLAG Connects: Communities (an extension of our PFLAG Connects program) which provides safe, virtual, moderated spaces for LGBTQ+ people and their families from diverse communities to come together for support and conversation. Current communities include spaces for Black/African American families, Latino families, AAPI families, military families, and for families with trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming kids
• Centering diverse voices and experiences in storytelling and communications, including
  • A 2019-2024 partnership with filmmaker Nick Oceano Armendariz, who served as a producer, writer and director on many of these projects, and mentored and empowered young diverse filmmakers. Projects with Nick included:
    • Las Familias de PFLAG en Español: written, directed, and produced by Nick Oceano Armendariz
    • A Place to Call Home: Directed by Stephanie Tran, written and produced by Nick Oceano Armendariz
    • Taking the Long Road Home: Directed by Qiydaar Foster, written and produced by Nick Oceano Armendariz and Niketta Scott
    • Pieces of Me: Written, directed, and produced by Nick Oceano Armendariz
    • Generation Next: Written, directed, and produced by Nick Oceano Armendariz
  • Something to Talk About Live!, a weekly live broadcast discussion on DEI issues of importance
  • What Makes Pride, a five-part series created in partnership with Melissa Harris-Perry and Wear Your Voice, discussing issues of importance to BIPOC communities and centering and fundraising for small hyperlocal organizations doing that work;
  • You Are My Pride, a film produced in partnership with Wear Your Voice
• A commitment to supporting minority-owned, union businesses for our procurements—recent examples include vendors for catering, printing, translating, and ASL services for PFLAG events;
• Ensuring that the PFLAG Chapter Network is integrating inclusion work, including
  • Numerous PFLAG Academy Online sessions focused on diversity and inclusion for chapters and working with families of color;
  • Translations of all PFLAG National publications to Spanish (and more to come); and
  • Expanding our PFLAG National Convention offerings to include nearly 50% of sessions focused on racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion.
• Creating intentional partnerships with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-led and centered organizations, including the NAACP, National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), Freedom Center for Social Justice, Hispanic Federation, The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), UnidosUS, Waves Ahead, Muslim Advocates, Keshet, and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR); and
• The launch of our PFLAG Inclusion Grants program to offer financial and staff support to chapters creating community-based engagement programs to make our chapter network more inclusive for all families and to support local BIPOC-led LGBTQ+ events.

We intend to keep this list up-to-date, and add to it as our work continues and grows.