Back to the Basics: Standing for Advocacy
Shirley A. Jones, Esq., National President, Blacks In Government
Blacks In Government (BIG) continues to focus on advocacy — that's the most critical thing we want our members and supporters to know in 2021.
The past year has been remarkably difficult for all of us. Added to the misery of a pandemic, it has also exposed continuing inequities in health care, economics, housing, and indeed policing in black communities.
It was also a year that saw Executive Orders, regulations, and websites aimed at silencing and even eliminating career public servants while threatening strides previously made towards greater diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is for those reasons that we deemed it necessary on January 1, 2021 to show that BIG still stands for advocacy by writing a letter to then President-Elect Biden and then Vice President-Elect Harris congratulating them on their historic victory while imploring them on Day 1 of their administration to rescind Executive Order 13950 Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping which had a chilling effect on diversity and inclusion training and Executive Order 13957 Creating Schedule F in the Executive Service would have reclassified career civil servant into political appointees. That letter is posted center stage on our national website.
With our early efforts in 2021 we want our members and supporters to see that BIG is remaining true to its history and purpose. In that regard, BIG was founded in 1975, the same year that the Vietnam War was ending. The country was in a recession and the overall unemployment rate was recorded as 9.2%. Job growth and advancement was stagnant. But perhaps more importantly to set the stage for BIG’s establishment, the country was not that far removed from major gains of the Civil Rights Movement, including passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, two laws that were still meeting resistance. So, let's not be idealistic enough to think that our government was a model employer in 1975 welcoming African Americans and women with open arms and giving them equal pay.
And, so it was with this backdrop that BIG was founded. It was after sit-ins and discussions about racial discrimination, that a small group of Health, Education, and Welfare Department employees came to believe that an employee support and resource group was a potential solution to the problems faced, problems so broad and widespread that they knew they wouldn’t make a dent one EEO case at a time. And, so that small group, five of them in fact, bravely started meeting and discussing their purpose.
And, that purpose became to serve as “An advocate of equal opportunity and professional development for Black government employees at the Local, State and Federal government levels and others dedicated to justice for all.”
They also discussed their overall mission. And, that mission became to “Enable all present and future Black employees in Local, State, and Federal governments to have the ability to maximize their career opportunities and provide a mechanism for inclusion, growth and advocacy.”
Thankfully, the world has come a long way since 1975 as has our government which we do believe strives to be a model employer. So, just as the world has changed so has BIG. While, we do, of course, still have as our mission to create a level playing field so that all employees can advance, our advocacy has a much broader perspective.
From career development training through our National Training Institute and Darlene Young Leadership Academy offered in conjunction with Morgan State University, to mentoring, and networking for employees to youth scholarships and community outreach projects, BIG offers a wide array of programs and services. If you look on our chapter and regional websites around the country you will see monthly activities where BIG members are in the community at food pantries and serving tables. And, if you attend our NTI, in addition to the training, you’ll see BIG service projects in each city.
In short, BIG remains committed to advocacy. And, that advocacy extends to promoting greater diversity, equity, and inclusion within our government agencies and to addressing issues of mutual concern within the community.
The column part of the FEDforum, an initiative to unite voices across the federal community. The FEDforum is a space for federal employee groups to share their organizations’ initiatives and activities with the FEDmanager audience.
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