Exiting the Maze of Racism in America
What’s the reason behind the project?
For those who don’t experience racism, it’s often invisible. For those of us who do, it erodes the quality of our lives. Bridging this divide is a tall order and for many of us it feels like an impossible task. While great change can happen in an instant, it’s more often accomplished by many small acts of open-heartedness crystallizing into larger ones.
We’re Exit the Maze, a 501(c)3 nonprofit and cooperative of Portland-area community leaders, activists, and business owners. We know from lived experience that racism exists in America and we’re here to tell you that racism exists in the Pacific Northwest, too. Let’s be real, racism exists everywhere that people choose to remain oblivious to its prevalence. We have an evolving plan to change that.
It’s difficult to combat something that you can’t see, because the most explicitly racist language has largely been scrubbed from federal, state, and local statutes, it’s easy for many white people to imagine the practice of racism has disappeared as well. If you were to ask any person of color if that’s really the case, you would likely hear that’s not the reality.
What’s our mission?
Exit the Maze is a community-centered nonprofit committed to exposing the invisible tentacles of racism by creating and energizing a diverse community of engaged leaders. Together, we break down systems of racial injustice through education, community engagement, and open dialogue.
We plan to inspire this through open and respectful dialogue, outreach, and educational efforts. We’re currently raising funds to hire an Educational Director to help us design a program aimed at primarily white youth ages 5-18. We’re also exploring how to incorporate wellness into what we are offering the community through our work.
What are our values?
Integrity: Our organization prides itself on honesty, open mindedness, and demonstrating firm moral principles.
Diversity & Inclusion: We believe that humans are strongest when we come together. Our goal is to honor the unique perspective and experience of every individual with whom we interact.
Collaboration & Excellence: We provide leadership to promote positive interaction, the ability to move forward while disagreeing, and striving to establish the most comprehensive solutions possible.
Commitment to Engage: By utilizing our will and our spirit, we engage our community and greater society through solutions and ideas that link social responsibility and accountability to our core human values.
Here on our The Exit Strategy blog we will discuss a wide array of topics from business, to wellness, and how we can all contribute to changing the trajectory of racism in our own communities. We look forward to seeing how you show up on this journey with us.
