Become a JEDI Master: Resources available

Becoming a JEDI Master: Journey Toward a More Equitable Future sought to develop an open-source, accessible toolkit that could be utilized by Switzer Fellows and other environmental practitioners seeking to further individual and organizational understanding of the principles of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion (JEDI). The goal of this toolkit is to unpack the root causes of inequities in our organizational and office staff structures by providing a historical and theoretical framework of systemic oppression, while also highlighting the importance of climate and environmental justice and how those movements are inextricably linked to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) and other global social justice movements. Elements of the toolkit are linked below. We advise users to review the Become a JEDI Master intros document prior to using the materials linked below. 

The JEDI master toolkit is a free, all-inclusive Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion resource that will aid organizations in creating and sustaining institutional change. The toolkit consists of:

• Two (2) 90-minute seminars on Demystifying Diversity and Climate and Environmental Justice;
• Twelve (12) JEDI Community Building Exercises;
• A detailed guide for conducting an equity audit, with recommendations for external auditors;
• Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Resource Library with links to free, accessible information

Elements of the toolkit are linked below:

1. Needs assessment / institutional pulse survey: The materials generated by this collaboration were piloted at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in 2020 and 2021. To start, we used a web-based survey to gain an in-depth understanding of the host organization, to build two seminars. The information helped to calibrate the information included in each seminar so it could accurately reflect the needs of the Carnegie Museum.
2. Guide to Conducting an Equity Audit: The guide is divided into four major subsets - hiring rates, promotion rates, policies and practices, and organizational leadership. Our belief is that these four core areas of focus can drive real questions as organizations seek to become more equitable. Groups are encouraged to create other subsets they agree to be important to assess.
3. Community Building Exercises: The community building exercises leveraged existing "team building" pedagogy and relied on creativity from the JEDI team. The goal of these shorter sessions is to continue the learning and growth from both the Demystifying Diversity seminar and the Introduction to Environmental and Climate Justice sessions (linked below). The team building exercises can be used with small or larger audiences and work to build intimacy and awareness.
4. JEDI Resources Library: This library contains resources in the form of reports, books, films, and podcasts, as well as a list of recommended consultants that organizations might seek out to further the goals of JEDI within their internal practices and external programming. Recommended users of this guide are individuals and groups who are seeking to expand their knowledge base and understanding of fundamental JEDI concepts. This collection is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all JEDI-related resources that exist. Rather, it is meant to serve as a starting point for interrogating the sociopolitical and historic contexts of systemic oppression in society.
5. Seminar One - Demystifying Diversity: This interactive session allows participants to choose their own adventure. The session is timed and recorded to enable the audience to watch, or they have the option to use the provided script and facilitate the session live. Demystifying Diversity is not only an introduction to JEDI and operationalizing those principles in the workplace, it also allows participants to have open and sometimes awkward conversations about topics that are often avoided in the workplace.
6. Seminar Two - An Introduction to Environmental and Climate Justice: This seminar aims to help build individual and institutional knowledge around environmental and climate justice terminology and concepts, provide historical context for the development of the Environmental Justice Movement, allow participants to explore a case study example of environmental injustice, and provide examples of ongoing policy and community-based efforts to generate solutions at the national and local levels. To assist with conducting the seminar, a presentation script and instructions for a breakout exercise are offered and encouraged to be customized by presenters. Background materials are also provided, and can be distributed to and explored by seminar participants ahead of the session. The target audience for the seminar includes any group, organization, or institution that is aiming to increase individual and collective understanding of the origins of environmental and climate (in)justice in the United States.

We (Jolisa Brooks, Daisy Benitez and Genie Bey) are looking for feedback on the utility of the provided materials. Switzer Fellows or colleagues who use the materials are invited to fill out this brief feedback form to let us hear about your experience and your thoughts.