Commitment to Health Equity and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights and the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation (ANR/ANRF) are committed to the dynamic ideology of advancing health equity. As a social impact organization, we understand that our responsibility is not only to advance smokefree environment laws and policies, but also to aid in the reduction of social disparities among population groups most affected by tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure. We aspire to promote empowering environments that foster partnership, respect, inclusiveness, and authentic valuing of every member of our community. This has led us to engage in a process of institutional refinement that gives emphasis to diversity, equity, and inclusion with an intentional focus using cultural responsiveness as a touchstone. We are working deliberately to create meaningful change by listening to, working alongside, cultivating and supporting community leaders, and empowering the communities we work to serve, which starts by maintaining an equitable and inclusive workplace where all individuals are encouraged to share their perspectives and lived experiences.
ANR Foundation applies a health equity lens to addressing the disparities in secondhand smoke (SHS) and the connections to broader health disparities. SHS is a common risk factor for most underlying conditions contributing to current health disparities and protecting people from SHS exposure is fundamental to promoting a culture of health and achieving health equity.
Our work is grounded in social justice and countering interference from the tobacco industry, which has a documented history of preying on minority groups. We work directly with communities and industries most negatively impacted by secondhand smoke, including musicians, Tribes, hospitality workers, and a wide range of community based organizations based on authentic relationships and long-term collaborations. Our team includes experienced and respected members from affected groups and regions.
Currently, we are seeking to operationalize our commitment to Healthy Equity and DEI efforts by:
- Recruiting and retaining staff, consultants, and board members from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, expertise, and/or lived experiences.
- Engaging and building capacity for external partners with lived experiences and established relationships in the communities that we seek to serve.
- Examining how we can set meeting agendas and greet others to be more mindful of cultural differences. We analyze the photos and language we use in our materials and discuss how we can ensure that our messages are inclusive and authentic to the communities we’re engaging.
- Putting into writing our diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
We look forward to sharing more as we put our words into action.