We recently posted about our process of selecting participants for our pilot sabbatical program, a program that highlights the importance of centering Black women leading social justice organizations that are changing and saving lives.
Open Horizon is committed to centering people, places and needs for folks who have been intentionally marginalized by histories of oppression. Stories that will not change unless we all do. While Open Horizon builds worlds with leaders who deserve to rest and to be uplifted for simply being, our family foundation also realizes the importance of practicing what we preach internally.
In a recent session, our organizational coach, the awesome Kelli King-Jackson, ACC, who visions a world where Black women are free to live, love and heal, asked the question “What is driving Open Horizon’s internal facilitation of a sabbatical right now?” Our team took a beat and then we shared reflections of rolling out a sabbatical in honor of Malinda M. Jacobs, the Executive Director’s mom, and trying to intentionally uplift Black women leaders in nonprofit organizations with whom we partner. Mirroring this effort, we hope to offer rest internally and build a culture where our Black women leaders can thrive as well. What we offer to cousins should only be rooted in excellence and worthy to offer to ourselves.
In a college commencement speech, Maya Angelou shared an African proverb “be careful when a naked man offers you a shirt” and described that one must take care of and nourish themselves first to be able to nourish others from a resourced and self-led place. So, as we learn what is appropriate to include in our Open Horizon Stargazer Sabbatical program pilot, we are concurrently engaging in a commitment that we have requested our selected partners do; we are offering rest to our Executive Director, with the hope that she finds all that she needs in the pause knowing that it affects our organizational structure and the demands on staff internally.
We have been intentional to coordinate proactively to anticipate potential gaps and imagine what the 3 months will be like as the world shifts around us. It is powerful to reflect that the Stargazer sabbatical pilot program participants and the Executive Director are all starting in the same month of May. All are communicating similar reflections of all that needs to be done in order to effectively prepare to fully unplug from work commitments. With hopes to not bring any stress to the organization or colleagues, the hypothetical invites a doubling down on the intercultural skill of tolerance of ambiguity. While we lean into this, Open Horizon invites our partners, both those engaging in the pilot and those who we connect with as we shift, to practice this same skill with us please. We hope (and know) that you will be kind and understanding as we are increasingly innovating to evolve the organization.
From May 15- August 15, our Acting Executive Director will be our co-founder, Lisa Cohen; Courtney Wright will remain in her role as our dope Director of Operations and Program Innovation. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to either of them during this period for anything you need. As we practice what we preach, we hope that you will be open and share feedback as we are learning and any real time suggestions or encouragement will help us meet the moment and adapt along the way.
How are you mirroring for yourself & community the love and abundance you seek for those you love and care for?
