Are we trying to fix a broken water main with a mop?

Standard wisdom tells us to focus on mission delivery and what we do best. With only 24 hours in a day and limited resources, it makes sense that one organization can’t solve everything all at once. 

But what if we’re all just mopping up puddles while the broken water main under out feet continues to pump out gallons?  That broken water main takes water away from communities and causes damage when it seeps into unexpected places.  Should we buy more buckets and mops? Do we need shovels to get at that water main? Should we be uniting with our neighbors to get overdue action on the water main?

A long history of embedded racism is our country’s broken water main. It’s not a coincidence that communities of color have shorter life expectancies, less savings, higher incarceration rates, and on… and on…. and on.   That same non-coincidence is why nonprofits disproportionately serve black and brown people.

We can’t stop mopping up the daily overflow of racism.  People still need immediate services like shelter, food, and medical care.  And like we as individuals are not capable of fixing water main breaks, addressing a history of embedded racism isn’t something we can do alone.

But staff and boards at nonprofit organizations should be looking at how they work and what their theory of change has to say about embedded racism. What is your responsibility in solving the root problem?  What is your role in the bigger fight? Can you identify and address how embedded racism exists within your own organization?  These questions alone are a good reason to question your strategy.

Nonprofit boards often say that their goal is to “put themselves out of business.”   If that’s the case, revisit why your nonprofit is “in business” and then make sure that you’re trying to solve the deeper problem of the broken water main – even while you keep your mop handy.