Cross-Class Leadership Series Explores Issues at Heart of Social Justice Leadership

Over the spring and summer of 2007, a diverse group of 25 progressive donors, leaders of philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, and community activists convened for a special series of gatherings to reflect on and explore the cross-class challenges often at the heart of social justice leadership.

In collaboration with Washington Courage & Renewal (WC&R), Social Justice Fund sponsored the series which explored key questions focused on the inner dimensions of leadership—questions such as:

• How can we learn to listen deeply to ourselves and bridge our class differences in building movements for social change?
• What does it mean to lead from within?
• How do we tend the paradoxes we face in our efforts to lead?
• How do issues of power and class identity amplify the challenges of nonprofit leadership?
• How do we lead for something larger than our own organizations?

Participant Mike Schloss explains what it was like to begin this process:

“Having received an email one day about this series, I found myself both intrigued and hesitant. After thinking for a day or so about applying and talking to my other co-workers about this opportunity, I knew this was a series I wanted to be a part of. As my anxiety built over the next few weeks and the date drew nearer, I was pleasantly surprised on the first night of the series to hear others stories were similar and strikingly different from my own.

“Too often, I find myself in a room full of similar values and beliefs, however in this room, I found myself wanting to know who was there and why they were there, as well as wanting to share my story. In all of six hours, the connection and the energy in the room built as we discussed where we came from within a ‘class’ perspective. Leaving the first session, I realized I was a part of something great and could not wait for our next time together.”

Over the course of the series, participants went through a series of discussions and activities to build trustworthy relationships across class and economic differences. They aligned their inner values around class with their external actions, and left feeling renewed and supported in their commitment to social change.

“The cross-class sessions allowed us to share the obvious ways in which class has influenced our lives while helping us discover the hidden ones.” said participant David Katz. “The trajectory from anger to understanding was impressive.”

To learn more, visit http://www.wacouragerenewal.org.