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Jul 10, 20203 min read

HMI Stands for Racial Justice

For many years HMI has worked to engage and support a diverse community of holistic managers - people who recognize their responsibility in helping to create healthy land, healthy food, and healthy lives. HMI recognizes that diversity is a critical criteria for the health of any system. It is for this reason, coupled with the strong belief in the inalienable and protected rights of all, that HMI practices inclusion and acceptance not limited to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religion, ableness, and place of origin.

The recent tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbaury, and so many others who have suffered as a result of racial injustice, have caused HMI's staff and board to reflect more deeply on what we can do as an organization to help dismantle the racism that holds back our society through the systematic mistreatment of those who have historically not had equitable access to resources. HMI strongly opposes racial discrimination and believes that the institutions of all countries must treat all citizens justly. As a staff and board of an international organization, we are committed to listening, educating ourselves, and supporting the Black lives, human rights, and social justice movements.  

To fulfill our mission, to educate people in regenerative agriculture for healthy lands and thriving communities, we renew our commitment to providing tools that promote and encourage social equity. We also commit ourselves to reach out to Black farmers and ranchers and other agricultural producers of color to support their efforts to create successful farm/ranch businesses, including implementing a scholarship fund for Blacks, Indigenous peoples, and people of color. We are deepening our critical self-reflection, and asking ourselves how we can support the work of dismantling racism in our communities, businesses, and beyond to create a racially equitable society through our programs, principles, policies, decision-making, and mission. 

Holistic Management is founded on the principles of strengthening the whole system through more effective decision-making that addresses social, economic, and environmental concerns simultaneously.  Creating healthy land and thriving communities is possible only if we permeate racial justice and equity throughout our work. Together we must commit to a systemic diagnosis of the policies and procedures that result in lost economic opportunities, increased threat, disempowerment, and discrimination for people of color. 

As a board and staff, we are exploring personal perspectives, values, and biases in order to be open to different ways of seeing and acting. We have attended webinars and developed a committee focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of our commitment to this work. The Mitch Landireu video eloquently points out the need for change in our societies to encourage the potential of all citizens. We urge all members of the Holistic Management community to engage with us in this work and share with us how they are participating in diversity and equity work within the regenerative agriculture space. 

-The Board and Staff of HMI

If you would like to learn more about  the webinars we have been attending and some of the resources that were shared at these webinars, please visit the links below.

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