A letter from our founder
[Image Description: A photo of Dana smiling at the camera, shown from the shoulders up. She wears a purple dress, her hair is worn naturally curly, and there are animated swirls added to the photo in orange in yellow.]
My path to New Suns Collective has been a winding one. With two degrees in Vocal Performance and an original plan of becoming a professional opera singer, the version of me from a decade ago would probably be surprised to see me here. Throughout my career I’ve worked in the arts, nonprofits, and higher education developing programs that addressed systemic issues in each of those fields in relation to how folks with marginalized identities were treated as they worked in or interacted with those worlds.
My work in this capacity was extremely fulfilling, but an unfortunate through-line in all of my experience has been that, while the work of the organization was focused on creating impactful programs that addressed inequity for external stakeholders, the concerns related to DEI for the internal staff were largely overlooked. I grew very familiar with being one of the “squeaky wheels” in the office, consistently raising ideas and issues to leadership only to be told that improving things internally wasn’t a priority.
As a Black woman, any time I brought up a concern it was more than theoretical, I was bringing my own identity to the table. And when my concerns were discarded I was discarded with them, at least a little bit. It became harder and harder to bounce back from these interactions and the stress and disappointment carried over into the rest of my life. I fought with depression, anxiety, and a sense of dread before every work day, knowing that it didn’t have to be this way.
There is certainly a business case to be made for creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environments. Doing so can facilitate increased productivity, reduce turnover, and create higher levels of employee engagement (all of which are goals we help people to achieve, by the way.) But while jobs can be incredibly fulfilling, they are not the totality of who we are. I believe that when marginalized folks have fewer battles to fight at work, we can live more full, free, and joyful lives outside of work. This is the lens through which I view the work of New Suns Collective, focusing on real change that transforms the lived experience of people in the workplace.
Even though my path here has been indirect, each step has informed all the others that came after it. One of the biggest lessons is that no one person can possibly have all the answers. Enter the “Collective” part of New Suns. The collective is an ever-expanding network of people who embody the ethos of New Suns and bring their own expertise to the table. I am grateful to collaborate with people I trust and admire who are all dedicated to improving how work works for everybody.
I am so energized by this work, by each member of the collective, and by each partner who is eager to make a change. I can’t wait to see where the journey takes us next.
