Campaign for Inclusion
Our Campaign for Inclusion addresses the inequities military families of color face in the areas where they live and work.
ABOUT
We announced Blue Star Families' Campaign for Inclusion in December 2020. This is our racial equity and inclusion work. Our goal is to help improve the service experiences of military families of color. Connecting with the communities where they serve makes families stronger and improves readiness. We want to ensure each member of every military family finds a sense of belonging.
“That’s why this walk is so important. It will make us feel included. It will make us feel valued.“
— Patricia Ochan, Ph.D.
CFIC Member and Military Spouse
A NATIONAL CALL TO ACTION
George Floyd’s murder in the spring of 2020 sparked the national focus on race in our country. The movement that emerged renewed and amplified a national call to action.
Blue Star Families supports this call to action through our Campaign for Inclusion.
“If you don’t feel like you belong, whether it’s because, sadly, the color of your skin, or your lack of being able to speak the language, or not really feeling like part of the majority, it could be truly isolating and difficult.“
— Ingrid Herrera-Yee,
Ph.D., CFIC Co-Chair
ANSWERING THIS CALL
We are sharpening our focus and understanding through lived experiences. We validate those experiences with results from our research. Important insights come from our annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey. The Military Families of Color Needs Assessment helps us learn even more. We confirmed service and support options are different for military families of color.
In many ways, the military community fosters positive bonds across race and ethnicity. The shared commitment to service helps. But, the shared bond of service is not enough to prevent real differences and challenges. Systems and attitudes undermine the experiences and outcomes of military families of color.
Through our Campaign for Inclusion, we can change the unacceptable reality many military families of color face by:
- conducting research and advocacy work
- leaning on the strong leadership of our Racial Equity and Inclusion Committee
- training our DEPLOY Fellows, the next generation of leaders that will help diversify the staff of military and Veteran service organizations
- bringing together new collaboration in the corporate, foundation, nonprofit, military, and government sectors
- creating community impact to address the inequities in the service experience of military families of color and increasing their sense of belonging by harnessing new resources and building new programs
Will you join us?
our mission & more
To advocate for the unique community needs of diverse military-and Veteran-connected families to enhance military readiness and retention. We listen to experiences, share our findings, and partner with others to act and empower change.
To help create an environment where diverse military and Veteran-connected families feel welcome and included in the communities where they live and serve.
- We use our best-in-class survey methodology to listen to the experiences of diverse military- and Veteran-connected families.
- We share our findings with community, military, and DOD leaders to empower change.
- We partner with other military and Veteran service organizations to create a force multiplier around areas of need.
- We act to create our own programs that improve the experiences of diverse military- and Veteran-connected families that have sacrificed so much for our country.