Dear Members,

These have been hard days. After being hit by a worldwide pandemic and shutdowns in many parts of our lives, we have been heartbroken over recent events. We stand with our members who may be experiencing anger, fear, disappointment, and uncertainty over our current reality. As the nation, and our city grapple with their response to racism and injustice, we turn to our members and our mission for guidance.

The Junior League of Greensboro is an organization of strong, diverse women committed to improving our city.  We have very detailed policies regarding public affairs. Normally, when the League wants to take a Public Stand or make a Position Statement about an issue, it involves a year of research, educating members, and a process of moving through committees to the board and eventually the membership. We vote each year on our League Public Stands and Position Statements. The League takes seriously the policies that exist for our protection and to protect our membership from action by a smaller group without membership feedback or approval.

Fortunately, our policies allow for us to make a quick endorsement of an issue if time is of the essence, and the Board has voted to do so in response to recent events. Per our policies, we began sharing resources on social media and we will also be making every effort to educate the membership following the recent vote.

The Board of Directors approved the following statement to be added to our Public Stands as a quick endorsement.  We will vote on our entire list of Public Stands at the Annual Meeting in May 2021.

The Junior League of Greensboro, NC, Inc. condemns racism and is committed to fostering a culture of belonging and acceptance through the ongoing education of its members. The Junior League of Greensboro, NC, Inc. will be intentional in its support of programs that embody this same commitment of diversity and inclusion.

The Junior League of Greensboro is an organization committed to inclusive environments of diverse individuals, organizations, and communities. The League reaches out to women of all races, ages (over 21 years), faiths, national origins, and sexual orientations who demonstrate an interest in and a commitment to voluntarism.

As part of our Strategic Plan, we are committed to maintaining and promoting an inclusive culture to support lifelong membership. We are also committed to providing member-centric programming and activity to maximize engagement, achieving personal growth, and development as community leaders.

The Junior League’s mission is to improve the community through the effective action of trained volunteers. We encourage members to find ways to use the leadership development and community engagement tools you have received from the League to be part of the solution.  Other ways we can engage are to spend time in self-reflection, listen to the experiences of others, and commit personally to build community in our wonderfully diverse city.  A list of resources for further exploration will be shared via social media.  We plan to continue this conversation and engage in work in the upcoming year. Thank each of you for all you do to make our community a better place.

The Board of Directors of the Junior League of Greensboro