External support is needed – and is actively being sought – to launch, expand and institutionalize a targeted set of engagement initiatives and tactical activities which comprise the AAA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) agenda. The aim is to implement a “coordinated, comprehensive and collaborative” strategy that optimizes the AAA’s internal strengths and leverages existing and future external collaborations.

The awareness-building, partnership-cultivation, and fundraising initiative upon which the AAA’s leadership is embarking is aimed at accomplishing the ambitious goals and objectives of the DEIB agenda. To expand its partnerships, collaborations and external funding support, the leadership team is ramping up its communication with and outreach to a wide variety of external audiences and stakeholders.

Diverse and multi-faceted constituents are being cultivated and engaged for their capacity to directly contribute toward the achievement of the AAA’s “change mission,” or for their potential to be directly impacted by the initiative’s outcomes. All of the tapped sectors could be influential in achieving barometer movement with the DEIB agenda.

The over-arching objective of the DEIB agenda is to achieve greater diversity outcomes within the AAA and among the organization’s partners and stakeholders. To operationalize the DEIB “framework,” and to achieve its ambitious goals, the AAA’s leadership is investing time, talent and fiscal resources into those commitments and initiatives that are deemed best positioned to achieve measurable, barometer-moving outcomes.

By dedicating resources and personnel, and engaging with impacted partners, the AAA’s leadership is not only investing in its membership – it is investing in a more just and equitable society. If sustained, these strategic and systemic approaches can significantly influence policy and practice, and create positive change. We share the details of those DEIB initiatives here, and seek your partnership in supporting these endeavors.