Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Junior League of Harrisburg and its members recognize the individual diversity, identities, circumstances, and inherent value of all people. Each of us brings unique backgrounds and perspectives that inform our daily lived experiences, and we treat these experiences with respect and empathy.

We seek to uplift and honor diversity and advance equity across our community, and we reject bigotry and discrimination. We will strive to be allies for our members and our broader community, and we will use our work to continue to be a part of a more compassionate, tolerant, and accepting world.

What Have We Been Doing?

Junior League of Harrisburg spent the better part of 2020 and 2021 taking an inward look at our organization – assessing how diverse, equitable, and inclusive we have been as a womxn’s organization serving the Harrisburg community. In 2020, our Board met early in the summer to put together a high-level action plan, which included the creation of a committee to address ways that we can become a more inclusive league.

We know that a few meetings will not erase the deep, lasting impacts of racism in our communities. Instead, we view this as a long-overdue place to begin our anti-racism work: to have difficult conversations, seek answers, and ensure that we are fully considering the ways that we can create a vibrant league that serves and reflects our community.

 Some of our activities have included, but are not limited to:

• Partnered with Harrisburg Young Professionals (HYP) to provide joint training opportunities for our members
• Facilitated a panel discussion with Ben Franklin Elementary, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region (BBBS), Tri County Community Action (TCCA), and Young Professionals of Color (YPOC) to learn more about the specific challenges members of the Harrisburg community face 
• 25% of our members have participated in AJLI’s 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, a three-week long learning experience in which members are encourage to be vulnerable, read and watch educational materials, and come together with womxn across the country (and the world!) to discuss racial equity

Where Do We Go From Here: The Next Steps

In order to hold ourselves accountable and ensure we’re meeting the needs of our community, our DEI Committee has outlined three top goals our League would like to achieve during our 2021-2022 League year:

• JLH will form partnerships with and leverage womxn- and minority-owned businesses and vendors in the Harrisburg area 
• JLH will seek to bolster the accessibility of our digital marketing and physical meeting spaces
• JLH will design and implement a modified version of AJLI’s 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge for members of Junior League of Harrisburg.