There was a time when many of us working for diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging and human rights worried primarily about whether our organizations were moving quickly enough.
Today, some of us are asking a much more fundamental question:
Is it safe to speak up at all?
That question is not hypothetical.
People who advocate for immigrants, racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, disability rights and other historically marginalized communities increasingly find themselves navigating an environment in which speaking out can carry personal and professional consequences.
That fear is real.
And fear, when people experience it alone, is powerful.
But community can be more powerful.
That is one reason we are building the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion.
When Advocacy Carries Risk
Consider what has been happening around us.
In Texas, protesters connected to a July 2025 demonstration outside the Prairieland immigration detention center were prosecuted in an extraordinary federal terrorism case. The facts are complicated and should not be oversimplified: a police officer was shot and wounded, property was damaged, and one defendant was convicted of attempted murder. At the same time, other defendants received extraordinarily long prison sentences after convictions that included providing material support for terrorism. The case has become part of a much larger national debate about protest, dissent and the boundaries of government power. (The Washington Post)
The Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization with a long history of monitoring hate and extremism, is also facing federal criminal charges. The SPLC denies wrongdoing and has asked a federal court to dismiss the charges, arguing that the prosecution is politically motivated and vindictive. The Justice Department strongly disputes that characterization. (CBS News)
Whatever our individual political perspectives on these particular cases, they illuminate something larger.
The perceived cost of advocacy is rising.
An employee may wonder whether challenging an inequitable policy will cost them a promotion.
A DEI professional may wonder whether their job will exist six months from now.
A nonprofit leader may worry that taking a public position will jeopardize funding.
An educator may wonder which words are now considered too controversial.
A corporate leader may believe deeply in inclusion while wondering how publicly they can say so.
And ordinary people may simply decide that remaining silent feels safer.
That is exactly when community becomes essential.
Courage Should Not Require Recklessness
The answer to fear is not telling people to “be brave” and sending them into difficult situations alone.
That is not courage. That can be recklessness.
The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion will take a different approach.
One of the solutions we intend to provide is legal literacy and risk-aware advocacy strategies.
Legal literacy does not mean turning every Coalition member into a lawyer. It means helping people understand the landscape in which they are operating, identify credible information and expertise, ask better questions, recognize potential risks, and make more informed decisions about when and how to act.
Risk-aware advocacy recognizes something equally important:
Different people carry different levels of risk.
A CEO, an hourly employee, a small-business owner, a government employee and a community activist may all believe in the same cause while facing very different consequences for speaking publicly.
Sustainable movements must understand those differences.
We want to create a community where people can learn from experts and one another, share strategies, identify emerging threats and opportunities, and make informed choices about how they can contribute.
Nobody should have to navigate this moment alone.
Join Us September 1
On September 1, 2026, we will publicly launch the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion with a livestreamed virtual event.
I hope you will join us. There is no cost for this launch event.
We will talk about why this Coalition is needed now, what we are building together, and how people who believe in diversity, inclusion, accessibility, belonging and human dignity can move from reactive, isolated survival mode to strategic, sustainable, collective power.
Register for the September 1 virtual launch on LinkedIn:
https://linkedin.com/events/launch-communitycoalitionforsus7491207384133111809/
Please register, and then invite someone else who needs to be part of this community.
Help Us Build the Infrastructure for Collective Power
We also need your help to build the Coalition.
ISDI is raising funds through GoFundMe to help create the community infrastructure (a robust online meeting and collaboration platform) and resources that will make this work possible.
Every contribution matters.
A donation is more than financial support. It is a statement that people committed to inclusion should have places to connect, learn, strategize and act together.
Please support the Community Coalition through our GoFundMe campaign:
https://gofundme.com/f/support-our-fight-for-inclusion-human-dignity-for-all
And please share the campaign with your networks.
Fear Thrives in Isolation
This Coalition exists to solve problems.
Fear of backlash and retaliation is one of them.
We cannot promise that advocacy will always be comfortable. We cannot eliminate every professional, legal or personal risk.
But we can make sure people have better information.
We can connect them with expertise.
We can help one another think strategically.
We can stand beside people who otherwise might feel alone.
And perhaps most importantly, we can remind one another that fear does not get the final word.
Community does.
Join us September 1.
Support the GoFundMe campaign.
And help us build a community capable not merely of protecting diversity and inclusion, but of advancing and sustaining this work for the generations to follow.
Dr. Kirk Adams, Ph.D.
Advocate, Leader and Keynote Speaker on Disability Inclusion & Leadership
Leading the Way to Accessible Innovation
” Inclusion isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s a strategic advantage. “
Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion (ISDI)
Executive Director
Strengthening individual and organizational capability for creating diverse, inclusive and equitable workplaces.
Innovative Impact, LLC Consulting
Managing Director
Impactful Workforce Inclusion Starts Here
American Foundation for the Blind
Immediate Past President & CEO
To create a world of no limits for people who are blind or visually impaired.
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