Nonprofit and Foundation TIG Week: Adjusting Language in a Shifting Political Landscape by Shelli Golson-Mickens and Alissa Marchant

Date: Saturday, June 21, 2025

Please note: This post is an abbreviated version. Read the full post here.

Hi! We are Alissa Marchant and Shelli Golson-Mickens. Across the country, equity advocates are facing a chilling reality: the language and practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion are being politicized and even outright banned. Like many others, we’ve felt the worry, grief, and disorientation these shifts bring. But equity work isn’t disappearing—it’s adapting. In this moment, we’re seeing a surge of creativity, pragmatism, and values-based innovation from leaders who remain committed to justice.

When we co-authored the Equitable Communications Guide in 2023, the landscape already felt uncertain. Since then, it has become more volatile. We (Shelli and Alissa) have returned to the guide—not with fresh eyes, but with eyes refreshed by experience: weary from navigating resistance (Shelli), but still hopeful about what is possible (Alissa). In this blog, we write collectively, offer personal reflections, and draw on conversations unfolding across the field as we explore how to stay rooted in equity in this political landscape. Here’s what we’re learning.

Lessons Learned

Speak Strategically Without Losing Substance

I (Shelli) was recently moved by Dr. Julie Sweetland’s reminder that “Messaging is not about saying what’s most true—it’s about saying what’s most strategic.” In conservative contexts, this might mean focusing on shared values like fairness, opportunity, and local control, rather than leading with terms like “equity” or “structural racism,” which can provoke resistance. Dr. Sweetland calls this values-forward communication.

For instance, instead of talking about “equity in data,” some are using terms like “complete and accurate data” or “community-informed insights.” These alternatives center the same principles while reducing the risk of backlash. This approach resonates personally. Growing up in a Black Southern family, I learned that language was a tool for achieving justice. My parents and grandparents didn’t call it a narrative strategy, but they practiced it every day.

Shift from Problem-Fixers to Community-Builders

I (Alissa) had an aha moment reading the article, From Fixers to Builders. I’ve long embraced asset framing to lift up community strengths. What felt new was applying that framing to systems—not just people. I began reflecting on whether constantly highlighting systemic failure might contribute to a harmful narrative that our institutions are not worth saving.

In today’s political climate—where safety nets are being dismantled—we need to name both harm and hope. Asset framing at the systems level helps reveal where scalable solutions exist and invites more people to see themselves as part of the fix.

Double Down on Community Collaboration

Collaboration matters more than ever. Reexamining the Equitable Communications Guide through today’s lens, a few lessons feel especially critical:

• Co-create narratives with the communities most affected by the work. They can help identify how we can best get information across without putting the cause at risk.
• Facilitate dialogue. Shared interpretation builds trust and keeps us grounded in the realities of those most affected by our work.
• Protect anonymity and trust, adding extra privacy controls especially for LGBTQ+ people, Black organizers, and others targeted in this climate.

Honor the Emotional Weight of Strategic Shifts

Adapting language is necessary—but not without emotional cost. For many from marginalized communities, choosing not to use explicit terms like “racism” or “equity” can feel like erasure. We want to name and honor that weight. Narrative strategy isn’t about silencing truth—it’s about choosing how to speak truth in ways that preserve progress and keep the door open for transformative change.

To those carrying this burden while pushing for change: we see you, and I (Shelli) feel you.

The American Evaluation Association is hosting Nonprofits and Foundations Topical Interest Group (NPFTIG) Week. The contributions all this week to AEA365 come from our NPFTIG members. Do you have questions, concerns, kudos, or content to extend this AEA365 contribution? Please add them in the comments section for this post on the AEA365 webpage so that we may enrich our community of practice. Would you like to submit an AEA365 Tip? Please send a note of interest to AEA365@eval.org. AEA365 is sponsored by the American Evaluation Association and provides a Tip-a-Day by and for evaluators. The views and opinions expressed on the AEA365 blog are solely those of the original authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the American Evaluation Association, and/or any/all contributors to this site.