The Skillman Foundation

If you don’t stick to your values when they’re being tested, they’re not values. They’re hobbies.

-Jon Stewart

Raising a teenager has made me quite the philosopher. It requires I make sense of the world enough to explain it, and then understand my explanation is limited by it being my own sensemaking of the world. As she grows, and makes her own meaning, her understanding will no doubt surpass mine, elevate it even.

This sensemaking muscle comes in handy these days. There are many ways, on any given day, during any given middle of the night wide awake moment, I turn over the events of this world and decidedly make it make sense.

Below I offer some of my takeaways, acknowledging all are limited and in need of your own additions. But sharing them anyway in case they are helpful to any of you in your own journey of meaning making.

With so much change demanded from a new federal administration, where do we acquiesce and where do we draw the line?

This is a big one. Beyond federal dollars being removed, federal agencies being dismantled, and the rule of law being both deployed furiously and ignored actively, an emergence of a strict and punitive Language Police now looms.

This administration is mandating we remove language many of us have held dear. It has set off such alarm bells and internal debates – what do we do, what do we sacrifice in doing so, what do we keep, what do we risk in keeping it?

Sensemaking #1 – This is a values test, not a purity test.

At The Skillman Foundation, with the advice of several forms of legal counsel—some deeply immersed in civil rights law—we have taken a look at everything we do and how we talk about it. We looked at grant agreements, our website, and more. Were there places we could be clearer and more inclusive? There were. This is where we made updates. Were there some places that speak to our values like racial equity and justice? Yes. Do we change those? No. We are not seeking to pass a purity test where we rigidly refuse to remain unchanged. But when it comes to what we know is needed for a foundation that focuses on Detroit, a city with 90+% folks of color, and a foundation that focuses on public education, where 95+% of students in our schools are students of color, we know our values of racial equity make us BETTER at serving our mission, the children of Detroit.

Sensemaking #2 – Words are just words. Actions are actions.

This, from a person who writes poetry? Yes. I remember in one of my MFA grad school classes, a professor told us that we should never use the word “love” in a love poem. There are so many more specific, more illustrative words that get at it better, he assured. While fundamentally we believe in the idea of a rich representation of so many people of all backgrounds, ideas, and orientations (diversity), we believe firmly in a culture of openness (inclusion) and we know that those who need more should be prioritized to receive more (equity), we are not wed to the words. We are wed to the ideals and outcomes.

I recently asked my staff to dig underneath these words with me. What do they actually mean? Below is what emerged.

How gorgeous are these words? How meaningful? I know my focus on community, my mama-bear-ness and my goal of thriving is firmly intact. Yours?

But what about race?

Sensemaking #3 – The Skillman Foundation is race explicit—not race exclusive.

Open and shut.

But what about the risk of speaking up, of standing by your values? People are being fired, publicly humiliated, arrested. Law firms are capitulating and senators are abdicating authority. How is little old me going to stand in the hurricane when others are not?

Sensemaking #4 – Know you are not alone.

There are so many wonderful, thoughtful, courageous souls across the aisle, across the world, in every sector and state. We believe in each other, we believe in our country, and we know that together we are better and stronger, especially across differences, real and perceived.

But also, this is a time to dig into your values with your institution so all are not only prepared for the risk but are trained up for it.

Sensemaking #5 – Find joy.

At The Skillman Foundation, we like to ‘gamify’ our learning. In trustee meetings we have pop quizzes and interactive games to help deepen our learning. Just like students of all ages, engagement and fun needs to be wired in for true active learning and comprehension.

In the past two years, our Foundation has created two gamified risk appetite exercises. They’ve helped our board and staff land on an avatar that embodies our risk level and also helps us to then move the avatar through a series of training levels to prepare for risks ahead. Lean into this moment so your organization can emerge as a collective that is values driven and ready for anything.

Not for nothing, our avatar happens to be the Joe Louis Fist. IFYKYK….if you don’t, come on over to Detroit for a visit!

When it comes to Detroit and young people, as Joe once said, “You need a lot of different types of people to make this world better.”

At The Skillman Foundation, we are suited up and ready to climb into the ring together.