Impact Justice lures people in with generic justice reform and progressive language but is far more insidious on the inside. The Leadership Team operates using white supremacist culture and is rife with implicit bias. They attract change-makers and activists with their more exciting programs like Restorative Justice and Homecoming. If you’re applying for the PRC, know that former corrections and police officers lead this project. The ties to a white supremacist organizational structure are strong across IJ and almost impenetrable at the PRC.
It is imperative to note that Impact Justice, a racial justice organization, is not anti-racist. Intentionally. It is deliberately not an anti-racist organization.
In my tenure, I pointed out that there were zero Black managers at the PREA Resource Center (PRC). None. There were well over 20 people on the project, Black people at all levels, but none were managers. They addressed this by tokenizing Black women, but failed to address the root of why leadership mistrusts Black people (hint: racism).
Staff, especially Black staff, across the entirety of IJ are expected to overperform while being underpaid. I once was assigned to manage a project without any support. The white woman assigned the project prior to me was given support, and the white woman after me was assigned support, but I was not. I brought this up to my supervisor, a VP at Impact Justice, and was met with a shrug. This same person routinely dismissed things I said, only to take them seriously when a non-Black colleague says it.
The PRC Leadership team members admitted to perpetuating a false narrative about me being a troublemaker, dismissing my questions and comments. As a Black woman, this characterization has been extraordinarily harmful and is deeply rooted in racism. This mischaracterization and perpetuation of the narrative of me as a troublemaker, the downplaying of my work and contributions, the expectations that I will perform better and be offered less support than my non-Black colleagues continued for years. The PRC Leadership knew it and admitted to knowing it. And while some of them threw their hands up in did nothing, others dug in and contributed to the narrative. A PRC leadership member started a false rumor that I rolled my eyes and was disrespectful in meetings. Only to recant when confronted. IJ did very little to address the underlying issues that led to this. I had no other choice but to leave this toxic work environment.
The Guiding Principles, which make the organization seem like a bastion of transparency and a workplace centered around care and equity, are aspirational AT BEST. Any plans to institutionalize the guiding principles and hold people (esp. Leadership and Management) accountable are being discussed and decided on in a top-down manner, which is truly the guiding IJ principle.
Impact Justice approaches justice reform from a paternalistic and white supremacist lens. Many of the Abolitionists and other folks who have challenged us to have difficult conversations and think outside of the box have left the org. If you’re looking for a nice liberal paycheck and to use your work as a virtue signal, then this is the place for you.
I’m leaving this organization, but not without deep emotional scars. It is incredibly mismanaged in terms of organizational structure and accountability.
