Our Diversity Matrix

RACIAL IDENTITY

Members use several words to describe our racial identities, including Black, Korean, African American, and Latina. Our genealogy includes people such as a third generation Filipino and a third generation Danish American. About 80% of us use terms such as White, White/European, White/Caucasian, or White with some African heritage.

COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN

Some of our members have experiences related to immigration and/or forced migration, including time spent in South American countries, parents who are immigrants and/or refugees, and others who draw on stories of grandparents or other relatives.

Most of our members were born or spent their formative years in the United States, but not all.

Combined, we can speak Spanish, Swedish, French and 92% of our members are fluent only in English.  

GENDER

A majority of our members (84%) describe their gender using feminine descriptors, including female, woman, and cis woman, and the others use male or cis male labels. 

SEXUAL ORIENTATION

Our delegates identify with sexual orientations across a spectrum, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, straight or heterosexual, as well as those who choose not to identify.

OTHER IDENTITIES

About half of our Delegates identify as parents, partners/spouses, and caregivers – including care for special needs adult children, family members with terminal illness, older adults, and lifelong support to parents whose first language isn’t English.

Other important identities we hold up as part of our collective experience include Veteran, Jewish, mentor, volunteer, middle class, teacher, neighbor, son/daughter, sibling, pet parent, advocate, and activist. About 15% of our delegates identify as having a disability.

EXPERIENCE

With careers largely centered in non-profit human services or various roles in the aging sector, we also bring professional and entrepreneurial experiences in fields as far-ranging as archeology, sociology, and finance.

We have professional experiences that range from extensive leadership of people and high-profile projects to personal experiences with poverty, being survivors of sexual assault, having family members with mental health and addiction issues, and being single parents or the first generation in our family to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Virtually all of us have earned post-secondary degrees across a variety of disciplines, such as political science, social work, communications, holistic health, or psychology, and several of us hold advanced degrees including Masters, JD, PhD, or MD. 

SKILLS

We bring a variety of skills and strengths to our shared table – always centered in a passion for older adults and leadership roles. The most common commitments we share are to meaningful relationships, effective communication, and a calling to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the aging sector.

We have identified our most common characteristics as open-mindedness, empathy, understanding, curiosity, and an ability to work effectively across different groups.

Other specific skills you will find in us include knowledge about gerontology, public policy, teaching, budgeting, fundraising, and business operations. We are intense listeners, fierce advocates, life-long learners, and we hold friendships and professional experiences across many communities.