In the month since I sent out my last President’s Update, COVID-19 has continued to impact our lives. And just in the past few weeks, the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks, and others have set off protests throughout the world as people join together to decry police brutality and systemic racism.

This has led me and the AIIP Board of Directors to think about AIIP and what we can do as an organization. There are some easy things and some more difficult things, and as a Board we have discussed working on both.

Here is what we are committing to do:

1) Examine our mission, outreach, and programming to support diversity within our organization.

• We will be reviewing our Mission Statement and Policies and Procedures documentation to identify opportunities to incorporate more inclusive language and policies.
• In advance of our Annual Conference in April 2021, we will be reaching out to diverse business owners in the St. Louis area to invite participation in discussions, programming, partnerships and other events.

2) Provide a forum to discuss the issues.

• On Thursday, July 23, 2020, from 12:00 noon – 1:00pm EDT, AIIP will hold an InfoPro Café to discuss advocating for racial equity and social justice within our profession and organization. I will host and facilitate the session.
  All AIIP members are welcome to come and discuss thoughts and ideas for creating a more inclusive and supportive space for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, and Queer) business owners.

3) Support Forward through Ferguson as the Give-Back charity for our 2021 Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

Forward through Ferguson was formed to rectify racial disparities in the St. Louis area in the wake of the killing of Michael Brown, Jr., on August 9, 2014.

Forward through Ferguson is charting a path toward Racial Equity by:

• Working as a catalyst, connecting and challenging stakeholders across the region to implement the 189 calls to action outlined in the Ferguson Commission Report;
• Helping organizations and institutions build the capacity they need to dismantle systemic racism; and
• Serving people of color, who most experience inequity, through a systems approach that will strengthen the region for all.

If you are moved to do so, I invite AIIP members and others to consider donating to this group. When making a contribution, please mention AIIP in the comments space.

As we get closer to the AIIP Annual Conference, we will continue to provide information and opportunities to support this organization.

Ultimately, our aim is to provide a forum to discuss what AIIP and its members can do to be part of the solution for greater racial equity and social justice in our world.

On behalf of the AIIP Board of Directors,

Jennifer Pflaumer, President

Page updated 6/18/2020