Impact100 Sonoma is a group of smart, capable and determined women. We know that alone we can do good, but together we can do better. And that’s why we join together to make a collective impact in Sonoma Valley. 

As we reckon with the impact of the global pandemic on our community, and rightly adjust our grantmaking to address urgent needs, we must also recognize that there is another crisis in our midst--the crisis of racism. 

You are invited to participate in Impact100-provided anti-racism training sessions starting this spring. 

In June of 2020, Impact100 Sonoma’s board met and unanimously approved a commitment to using our collective power and resources to address racism in Sonoma Valley. While we believe that injustice, inequality and structural racism exist everywhere, including in Sonoma Valley, we also believe that these problems are solvable if we invest in solutions and equip ourselves to dismantle the systems and structures that allow them to thrive.

Our resulting plan for 2021 is a three-phase Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) training program that will help our members recognize our role in racist systems, cultivate awareness of racial equity issues, and develop and practice the skills necessary to eradicate them from our community. With the selection of Epoch Education as our training partner, Impact100 will have the benefit of a national leader in DEI who also has local roots, as it was founded by Sonoma resident Dr. Nancy Dome. 

Three Phases:

1. Board Intensive (January 2021)

2. All-Member Ongoing Training (March - December 2021)

3. Valley-Wide Nonprofit Training (April - December 2021)

Today we invite you to join us in Phase 2, which will consist of nine self-paced online courses and three facilitated webinars from Epoch Education offered throughout the year. In addition to the Epoch-led courses and webinars, there will be group discussions, spotlights, speakers and more over the course of the rest of the year.

Join us for a virtual informational meeting on Thursday, February 25, 2021 from 5 pm-6 pm that will cover course content, calendar and answer any questions you may have. Click here to register to attend.

Impact100 All-Member DEI Training Calendar Overview

March through April 2021	3 Online Epoch Courses: Compassionate Dialogue Thriving in the USA as a Racially Conscious Person What is Implicit Bias
April 22, 2021, 5:00-6:30 pm	Facilitated Webinar with Epoch
May 2021 - July 2021	3 Online Epoch Courses: Exploring Issues of Privilege and Entitlement How to Talk About Race Our Role in Confronting and Overcoming Systemic Oppression
August, 2021 - exact date TBD	Facilitated Webinar with Epoch
September - November 2021	3 Online Epoch Courses: Exploring the Critique of Liberalism through Critical Race Theory Unpacking the Backpack of Non-ness Debiasing Our Thoughts & Actions
December, 2021 - exact date TBD	Facilitated Webinar with Epoch

Starting March 1, you will begin to receive email notifications from Epoch Education that you have been added to new courses.* The first three courses are designed as an introduction to the year-long training program. To get the most out of the facilitated webinars with Epoch, each group of courses should be completed in advance of the webinar. 

To help guide and support you on this journey, we have assembled an Equity Team who will be regularly communicating with you about the DEI courses, answering questions, and offering additional opportunities to engage with this work through collaborative activities, small group meetings and more.

Meet your Equity Team below:

Sarah Carroll "Train yourself toward solidarity and not charity. You are no one’s savior. You are a mutual partner in the pursuit of freedom." ~ Brittany Packnett Cunningham	Aiko-Sophie Ezaki “Dominator culture has tried to keep us all afraid, to make us choose safety instead of risk, sameness instead of diversity. Moving through that fear, finding out what connects us, revelling in our differences; this is the process that brings us closer, that gives us a world of shared values, of meaningful community.” ~ bell hooks
Beth Fox “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” ~ Lilla Watson, Aboriginal Activist	Chelsie Runnings “Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice we make everyday. As leaders, we have to put out the message that we embrace, and not just tolerate, diversity.” ~ Nellie Borrero
Angela Ryan It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit, it's the past we step into, and how we repair it.” ~ Amanda Gorman	Diana Sanson “Unity, not uniformity, must be our aim. We attain unity only through variety. Differences must be integrated, not annihilated, not absorbed.” ~Mary Parker Follett

We’re thrilled to invite you on this journey with us, where our aim is to cultivate awareness of racial equity issues, and develop and practice the skills necessary to eradicate them from our community. 

In December, Nancy Dome led a keynote address, "Equity by Design," in which she laid out many of the key concepts and areas that the DEI training will address. We invite you to view the recording of that presentation on YouTube as you prepare to engage with Nancy and fellow members in this training.

*If you already participated in the Board Intensive (Phase 1) you will be given access to the courses on this list that you did not already take.