The Lift strategic planning process began in June 2017 with the convening of a seven-member Strategic Planning Committee of staff and advisory board members to guide the process. Takema Robinson, Hilary Roach and Sian ÓFaoláin of Converge Consulting facilitated the strategic planning process, including the development of a Racial Equity and Inclusion Framework, and prepared this final strategic planning report.

LIFT LOUISIANA THREE-YEAR STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS

I. RACIAL EQUITY: Operationalize Lift’s Racial Equity and Inclusion Framework and ongoing practice/praxis.

II. STATEWIDE ADVOCACY: Build out Lift’s capacity for statewide engagement and advocacy.

III. LITIGATION: Engage in litigation in defense of reproductive rights in Louisiana.

IV. INCARCERATED WOMEN’S ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE: Build Lift’s capacity and expertise in this area.

V. ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY: Diversify Lift’s funding streams and define Lift’s organizational structure.

Lift Louisiana is a reproductive rights organization committed to advancing racial equity. To this end, Lift will:

• Engage in ongoing and explicit internal and external political education on racial equity and reproductive justice.
• Enter into partnerships with a listening ear, allowing partner organizations to narrate their needs. We will support and fill in gaps as needed based on our expertise and resources, lifting up the expertise of reproductive justice groups whenever possible.
• Pay attention to the distribution of resources and power in the reproductive health, rights and justice field, and commit to leveraging our resources to advance racial equity and the reproductive justice movement.
• Center racial equity in programmatic decisions, prioritizing opportunities to engage, mobilize and represent diverse constituencies and marginalized groups.
• Develop a hiring process that centers racial equity, hire a team that reflects the diversity of Louisiana women and utilize human resources policies that reflect our commitment to women and families.
• Be explicit about race (racial disparities, structural racism, impacts by race/class/gender/sexuality, etc.) in our communications about our work and role in the field.
• Develop the Advisory Board with a racial equity lens, recruiting a governing body competent in racial equity analysis that represents the diversity of Louisiana women.