Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Sail Chicago

Mission

The mission of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is to ensure sailors feel comfortable and a sense of belonging in the Sail Chicago community, regardless of gender, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, class, age, or any other perceived difference. Sail Chicago and the global sailing community benefit from diversity in all forms.

Our Commitment

To improve in our understanding and effectiveness, we must increase representation and the diversity of perspectives in the Sail Chicago organization. We are thankful for the women, LGBTQIA+, and BIPOC advocates who have pushed us to do better. We have much more work to do to welcome, to listen, learn and act to make our organization better and more effective through partnership and action. We view the diversity of our members as assets and strive to create and sustain a diverse and culturally competent organization that reflects Chicagoland.

How Do We Do This?

With strong support from the Sail Chicago member community, the Board of Directors formalized our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and created the DE&I Committee in 2020. Composed of an array of members and Board of Directors representatives, the committee works to put into action DE&I initiatives and strategies. Here are some of the changes we’ve worked on since then:

  • Surveyed members for baseline Diversity, Equity & Inclusion metrics (2020)

  • Designated 2 Board members as DE&I contact persons for any questions or concerns from membership

  • Changed the name of Sail Chicago's monthly newsletter to be more inclusive

  • Updated the Mission Statement to incorporate DE&I values

  • Created a new election process to promote more open and transparent Board elections

Ongoing initiatives:

  • Community Cruise Outings (CCOs) as an outreach program to communities typically underrepresented in sailing

  • Implementing new election process on an ongoing basis to promote more open and transparent Board elections

Upcoming initiatives:

  • Crew Class Scholarship program

Where Are We Now?

Our member survey in 2020 provided us with a look at the current demographics of Sail Chicago. We will continue to value transparency in our shared work as a community and plan to update member demographic information each year.

  • 14.1% Female, 85.9% Male

  • 87.1% White, 4.3% Black, 2.9% East Asian, 2.9% Multiple, 1.4% Hispanic/Latinx, 1.4% South Asian

  • 10.4% identify as LGBTQIA+

  • 15.6% report a disability

  • Age 25 - 34 (8.5%), Age 35 - 44 (16.9%), Age 45 - 54 (14.1%), Age 55 - 64 (23.9%), Age 65 - 74 (25.4%), Age 75+ (11.3%)

Learn More About Diversity in Sailing

US Sailing - Diversity & Inclusion

Rainbow Races (Chicago)

Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program (Chicago)

Jackson Park Yacht Club's "Diversity Call to Action for Chicago Boaters"

Contact Us

Please feel free to reach out to us:

  • If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to report any harassment or discriminatory behavior related to Sail Chicago activities,

  • If you would like to join the DE&I Committee, or

  • If you would like to learn more about any of DE&I initiatives, including if you represent or participate in a group that would be interested in our Community Cruise Outing program.

Sail Chicago’s designated DE&I contact persons are Rachel Granneman and Pat Webster. Feel free to reach out about DE&I concerns and ideas by emailing dei@sailchicago.org (monitored by Rachel, Pat, and DEI Committee Lead: Ashleigh Luttery).