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Our vision

Our bold vision is to have our region reflect the vibrancy of a religiously diverse democracy, one in which all people are valued, distinctive traditions are welcomed, and people of diverse backgrounds collaborate to shape a just and compassionate society.

We hold ourselves accountable to nurturing an environment of inclusion and respect by valuing the dignity and uniqueness of every individual and affirming the rich diversity of racial, ethnic, and religious communities.

 

We are committed to taking meaningful action to cultivate an environment of fairness, belonging, and opportunity that embraces all people.  We do so by striving to achieve globally recognized benchmarks for diversity, equity, and inclusion.*

Core Values & Guiding Principles

We value freedom of religious expression as a justice issue, honoring the myriad of ways people self-identify and orient around religion and spirituality.

 

Religious freedom is foundational to democracy and to the city of Philadelphia. We strive to help our region be one where all are fully welcomed and valued. 

We uphold respect and dignity for all, especially those at the margins.

 

Through our programs, policies and practices, we strive to expand awareness of and dismantle structural and implicit bias and racism.   

Our work is local.

 

We strive to help the Philadelphia five county region become a vibrant, religiously diverse democracy.   This requires work with individuals and institutions, youth and adults, leadership and the grassroots.   All residents of our region are our constituency.

Religious literacy is critical to all sectors, vocations, and is an important dimension of civil society.

Understanding the customs, practices holidays, dietary needs, sacred texts, arts, core stories and teachings of diverse faith traditions is essential to creating a stronger, more connected community, where religious diversity is not only tolerated but appreciated.

Our call to action is "Dare to Understand."

 

We invite people to speak authentically and listen respectfully; to listen to understand.  This takes curiosity, humility and courage.   People know us best when we are able to tell our own stories.   In coming to know others, we better understand ourselves.  This enables us to discover our commonalities, and celebrate our distinctiveness.

We embrace the widest possible table and encourage people to stay at the table.

 

We value the dignity and worth of every individual, we respect multiple world views, and we strive to create spaces for all to express their whole and distinctive identities.

Collaboration and relationships are essential, and take time.

 

This work cannot be done alone, and building trust, understanding, and cooperation takes time.  We value our partners and program participants, and are committed to investing in, and strengthening these relationships. Systems change expertise reminds us that collaborations benefit from the differences among the collaborators, and an ability to see the world differently and through the eyes of another.  Enduring change needs investment over time.

We value institutions and their leadership, as well as grassroots constituents and activists.

 

We recognize they are each critical for social change and can co-exist.  Challenging the edges, (from within and without,) is needed for new ideas and norms to break through.   Healthy structure and institutions are needed for change to endure.

*Interfaith Philadelphia upholds our policies of Non-Discrimination and Against Sexual and Other Harassment, with practices for addressing grievances.  We are using the Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Benchmarks (GDEIB) in a commitment to ongoing and measurable DEI progress.

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