JABS Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism Promise

At JABS, we aim to provide a positive experience for all, both in class and online. We aspire to have our classes serve as a safe space where people can come as they are and bring their whole selves. But this safe space cannot exist if we do not first denounce systemic racism and any other forms of discrimination based on ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, disability, or age. We are committed to tackling these issues both internally and with our community by taking the following steps:

Establish JABS as an anti-racist, anti-discrimination organization.

At JABS, we ask that you come to class as your whole self. We want to recognize and celebrate the unique parts of who you are that make our community special. For this reason, we will not allow racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, or any other forms of hate or discrimination to exist in our community.

Acknowledge the difference between diversity and inclusion, and ensure this difference is reflected in our policies and actions.

As we grow, it’s important to us that we cultivate a diverse mix of representation, including our non-instructor team members like legal, finance, and operations. We will actively seek non-traditional hiring pipelines to ensure greater representation for all future hires, and we will ensure all candidates are evaluated based on the same stable criteria. This means not just looking within our own networks, but expanding our reach to seek talent outside our existing community.

As it relates to inclusion, we will ask ourselves important questions: Are those in our community and on our team being valued and respected? Are we proactively looking at roadblocks they may experience? This will not be something we tackle every now and then, but rather it will be built into the way we communicate with, support, and celebrate each other, and how we highlight individual uniqueness.

Work to question and dismantle our own conscious and unconscious biases and privilege.

In her book So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo states: “Anti-racism is the commitment to fight racism wherever you find it, including in yourself. And it’s the only way forward.” This is what we must do as a team to ensure that we prioritize an inclusive class environment and hiring practices. We must be logical and careful in the way that we draw conclusions and make decisions. As a community, we ask that you join us in this commitment to be cognizant of stereotyping and examine all dimensions of someone’s identity.

We will continue providing equitable access to resources and opportunities for all employees to ensure that being a member of a certain social identity category does not lead to favored status or privilege.

Ensure accountability across the board, starting with leadership.

Discussion of inclusion is not enough - we will look to our leadership team to take action by modeling this behavior and setting the tone for our entire team and community. We will seek consistency in how our leadership team validates and substantiates inclusion policies and actions. This means reinforcing positive inclusive actions, and, where appropriate, taking action against non-inclusive ones.

We vow to always be listening and learning. In the spirit of continued education, our Chief Fitness Officer recently completed a Cornell certificate in Diversity & Inclusion for Business Leaders. We will continue to seek opportunities for growth and share all insights with our team.

Our inclusion policies and actions will be assessed on a quarterly basis and we will look to our team and community for feedback. We recognize that what matters most is not how we THINK we’re acting - it’s how our community feels as a result of our actions.