We interviewed Alina Ali to talk about her role as Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Manager at the Feeding America Network Office. Read to learn more about the work she’s doing and her experience in the DEI space.

What's your title at Feeding America and what are your job responsibilities?

My position title is Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Manager at Feeding America Network Office. I am excited to be joining Feeding America during a transformative stage of their equity journey. I assist the Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with the development and implementation of Feeding America’s racial equity action plan to ultimately fight hunger. I am genuinely thrilled to have a unique role in which I get to collaborate with individuals across the organization because our goal is to embed equity into all aspects of Feeding America. I assist with this goal by developing network-wide feedback loops to ensure that all voices at Feeding America help us grow and register an impact. 

I am also incredibly proud to assist with the development and cultivation of multiple Employee Resource Groups which are brave spaces for staff members to build meaningful connections with others as their authentic selves. Among other things, I also coordinate equity, diversity, and inclusion-related trainings and presentations for internal/external stakeholders to provide tools and frameworks regarding Feeding America’s equity journey.

Tell us a bit as to how you define diversity, equity, and inclusion. What's your philosophy?

I believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are the basic foundational need of every conversation, meeting, procedure, plan, and journey. Diversity is the authentic representation of the abundance of different identities, thought processes, and experiences that exist in the world. Inclusion is the creation of brave spaces to foster intentional meaningful interactions with diverse individuals. Equity is the dismantling of societal structures created to serve as barriers to success for minority individuals. I am committed to ensuring that diverse voices are present at the table and included in a meaningful manner so that they have real power and decision-making authority.

I often realize I am the only Brown Muslim Woman at meetings when I am unintentionally being asked to represent a group of individuals who share my identities, which I am in no way qualified to do. I have engaged in numerous conversations explaining why homogenizing individuals and appointing any one person as their representative is unfair and harmful, but the conversation should be centered around the structures that allow this to happen repeatedly.

This happens in large part due to a lack of meaningful inclusion of diversity at the table. I truly want my presence and voice to serve as fuel for an alarming need for root cause analysis of a lack of inclusion of diverse individuals in spaces where the power to create programs is held. My hope is that this leads to a reconstruction of the foundation of exclusionary and harmful programs.

You worked in government, at CTA – how has that experience informed how you think about DEI?

I had the privilege of working with Chicagoans from all walks of life at Chicago Transit Authority which makes it an excellent space to spearhead equity work. Government agencies are uniquely placed in that they have beautiful diversity within their staff that can drive changes in programs that affect the masses. Restructuring programs from within a government agency can help alleviate barriers to success for a large part of society. Working at Chicago Transit Authority was a memorable experience in which I learned how powerful a collective movement towards change could look like. 

What drew you to Feeding America?

The intentional nature of EDI work and their fearless commitment to proactively infuse equity in the very fiber of their identity drew me to Feeding America. I get to collaborate with individuals that are committed to shared goals, common mission and understand the multi-dimensional nature of equity work. The manager of EDI position at Feeding America is not just a check the box response to the social-political climate of today, it is a carefully crafted position that has the potential to be an agent of change for the whole organization and for the people that Feeding America serves. This truly is the opportunity to do what is needed and what I love!

What's the biggest challenge in your new role?

Feeding America is a national organization composed of and impacting individuals from all walks of life. My biggest challenge is to ensure I meet people where they are on their equity journey and work to move forward. We must also work together to define what moving forward means. It is extremely important to me that we find spaces to address the different experiences and opinions people bring no matter how difficult that process gets because no one should feel dismissed.

I have the immense privilege of having people’s trust in shaping this equity journey and for me, that comes with a lot of responsibility, not the least of which is truly engaging with people where they stand. My role requires that I listen to the voices around me, figure out which voices have not been provided a platform, and also recognize the power exhibited by the silence of those whose trust in societal structures may have been lost. I do not take these challenges lightly especially as I continue to face barriers in my own personal equity journey, but I truly look forward to the impact conquering these challenges in an honest manner will yield. 

What does success look like for you in your new job? Six months from now, what do you hope to have accomplished?

I want to begin by understanding the vast functions of Feeding America and get to know the passionate Feeding America staff and Network Food Bank members. Internally, I hope to build communication pipelines that allow for transparent communication across departments. I want staff members to feel confident sharing feedback as their authentic selves and my goal is for these communications to yield actionable results including, but not limited to, shaping equity initiatives. Externally, I want Feeding America to connect with community partners in understanding root causes serving as barriers for impacted communities so that Feeding America can provide a holistic approach in addressing food insecurity.

Finally, what do you do for fun these days? How are you staying sane during the pandemic?

I am rediscovering the joy of reading and spending a lot of time planning future travels around the globe. I am also open to movie suggestions!

Thanks, Alina!