“Workers at a potato processing plant in Texas face abuse by their employers but choose to stay silent out of fear of losing their H-2A visas. Most are unaware they’re even victims of forced labor, or that the fees they’re required to pay to their supervisors for a visa are illegal. They don’t trust the authorities either, and fear retaliation for speaking out. It’s a reality faced by some 36,000 people a year in this border state.”

“Each June, the United States releases the annual Trafficking in Persons Report (“TIP Report”), setting forth each country’s response to forced labor and sex trafficking. Mandated by the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and reflecting the ethos of the United Nations Protocol of that same year, the 2020 TIP Report is a strong document that commemorates and builds on the legacy of the last two decades while not flinching from facts that demonstrate just how far we have to go in this centuries-old fight. ”

“Stay-at-home orders, self-quarantining by those exposed or at high risk, six-foot physical distancing, and other public and private health measures can create the misimpression that we’re all disconnected and isolated. But whether you’re a hero working on the frontlines for a nonprofit providing essential health care, shelter services, child care, or other human services, or you’re wearing a different cape as a multi-tasking parent/teacher/nonprofit employee working remotely from home, you know you’re not alone. Still, you may be curious: what are other nonprofits experiencing?”

There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a disproportionate impact on communities of color. But this fact prompts a much more difficult question for nonprofit boards to consider in this moment: “What can boards do in the near-term to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the vulnerable communities their organizations serve?” Or, to put it another way: “How can nonprofit boards effectively prioritize equity in a moment like this?”