Campaign for Inclusion
Blue Star Families’ Campaign for Inclusion reflects values of welcome and belonging at the heart of our work. Using our theory of change (listen, share, partner, & act), we empower stakeholders to implement best practices that help all military families feel welcomed and included on their journey.
COLLABORATION
Blue Star Families chairs the White Oak Collaborative Subcommittee on Racial Equity and Inclusion. This subcommittee has developed a set of recommendations and best practices for military and Veteran serving organizations. The organizations in the subcommittee and others in the field can use these recommendations as a starting point to help improve the experiences of military- and Veteran-connected families of color. These recommendations were included in Blue Star Families’ Social Impact Research 2021: Understanding the Diverhttps://bluestarfam.org/campaign-for-inclusionse Experiences of Military Families of Color report and are also available for download below.
Becoming a signatory to this document doesn’t mean your organization promises to check every box. This is an aspirational list! Rather, it means that you are willing to publicly share that you believe these practices are important.
If your military/Veteran service organization wants to get involved, there are several ways to do so:
- Download the “Recommended Practices for Military and Veteran Serving Organizations” document and circulate it within your team to start or continue a conversation about promoting racial equity and inclusion within your organization.
- For current White Oak Collaborative members—join the Subcommittee on Racial Equity and Inclusion and/or become a signatory to the set of recommendations and best practices.
- For military and Veteran serving organizations, become a signatory to the set of recommendations and best practices.
DEVOTION
In November 2022, Sony and Director J.D. Dillard gave Blue Star Families members an exclusive look at their latest film, Devotion, at a series of special advanced screenings. This is a true story of inspirational barrier-breaking Jesse Brown and his heroic wingman Thomas Hudner, U.S. Navy fighter pilots who walk the line of racial segregation, bravery, and the cost of defending one’s country.
McCormick Chicagoland DEPLOY Fellow Jerilyn Lim-Leonard shares a scene that stood out to her as a poignant example as to how Black service members were treated second to everyone else:
"In the beginning, Jesse is standing in front of a mirror. He looks scared. Is his new wingman going to support him? He starts to say negative, awful things to himself. And then I realized, these racial slurs and discouraging words were all things people have said to him and he's using it as motivation.”
White Oak Collaborative Subcommittee on Racial Equity and Inclusion Organizations
