Peace is Committed to Three Core Values

Dear Peace Family,

Next year will mark my 50th year at Peace Neighborhood Center; my 20th year as Peace’s Executive Director. Since its inception, Peace has always been committed to living out and promoting three core values. Diversity. Equity. Inclusion.

The Diversity of the community we serve, our Staff, Board of Directors, and our Community Supporters create a colorful garden filled with difference—across race, economic levels, and our lived experiences. We are stronger and more resilient, as an agency and community, because of our Diversity.

Peace’s strength also comes from our long-standing commitment to supporting and advancing Equity for those who have been left out of the American dream, or have a steeper climb to realize it.

And we believe in the power of including all people—providing a safe space for all voices and perspectives to be heard. So we can continue to learn from one another.

Peace will never abandon these principles. More than principals, we practice these core values through actions. Every day. Actions that permeate every program, service, and means of support we provide those we serve.

Actions rooted in exclusion, hate and division have no place at Peace. Because we’ve seen how they kill unity of purpose and limit us all from learning and moving forward.

The depth, breadth, and diversity of Peace’s community support has always sustained us through previous governmental policy changes and economic downturns. But this time is different.

Deep cuts to federally supported programs are already impacting vital local services and key community partners. Many local community organizations have already had to lay off staff and reduce services. And we see even greater issues coming for the families we serve if the current climate continues.

Over 41% of Washtenaw County residents already struggle to cover their basic needs. It’s important to know that cuts in federal funding and services that support our local safety net for thousands of our neighbors will affect all of us. Those in need will have to turn to local agencies like Peace to help fill the gap. Similar to 2008, we expect that many of those who will reach out to us for assistance will be households that have been making it one paycheck at a time.

At this crucial time it is important that we all stay engaged—and use all civically appropriate methods to make our voices heard to stand with those in our community who will be most affected by cuts made by the federal government. We know from experience that these cuts will set people back, cause deaths, and will cause serious destruction to our community’s social safety net that supports thousands in our community.

Please join me in recommitting ourselves to bringing unity, love and compassion to all those we encounter every day; and to others who might be affected in ways we can’t imagine.

We are all part of a collective humanity that is woven together as fabric. Its beauty and strength is reflected in the intertwined threads—connected and dependent on each other. Pledge with me to continue to work so that our children and grandchildren and generations after will live in a world where Diversity, Equity and Inclusion support the fabric and strength of our society as strong pillars and core values. At a pivotal time when we need to re-enforce them.

Over the 50 years that I’ve been connected to Peace, history has shown us that our core values and unwavering commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are essential— as air is to our lungs, as clouds to rain, rivers to lakes, day to night, as love is to Humanity.

Though we may not always agree, I hope we can all agree that uniformity, inequity, and exclusion have no place in a loving and thriving world. That everyone should have an opportunity and a place at the table!

Peace and Blessings,