In a reminder that those served by a nonprofit can be heard when those paid haven't listened, the CEO of New York Road Runners, the non-profit behind the New York City Marathon, is stepping down amid organization-wide allegations of racism and sexism and calls for his removal.
According to bluzz.com
In September, a group called Rebuild NYRR – made up of current and former NYRR employees — started an online petition demanding the immediate resignation of Capiraso for allegedly fostering a “toxic, discriminatory, and systemically racist work culture at NYRR.”
More than 1,150 people have signed that Change.org petition as of Monday morning.
“For years, we have been experiencing racism, bias, and bullying that goes unchecked. We want to create a healthy, equitable, and safe environment for ourselves and for our community. We have been pushing for fairness and cultural competency for years only to have it fall on deaf ears,” the group had posted on its website.
Kudos to the members taking action and apologies that it took community organizing and legal action to move the board to act and response. Nonprofit boards must be ever vigilant that they are caretakers of the community's resources and must be held accountable for their actions including not listening. While the board has turned around seemingly responsively, I would encourage the folks that initiated these actions to consider taking many if not all the seats at the table. The board failed to do their duty.