About
4tified
Fortify (verb) -- to make strong; impart strength or vigor to; to increase the effectiveness of, as by additional ingredients; to strengthen mentally or morally. (dictionary.com)
4tified Educational Practices, LLC was officially named and certified February 13, 2021. However, the values, beliefs, and actions of the organization have been in operation since May 2018. 4tified believes that when an organization or individual centers their work in intentional practices that infuse systems thinking, adopt processes to sustain anti-racist, non-oppressive policies, then and only then is that individual or organization at its highest levels of fortification. We utilize a combination of two mental models, which we call The Four P’s: The work is Personal over Professional and focuses on the Process over the Product.
4tified operates with our Four Pearls guiding our practice:
Pearl #1 Educate
We believe we cannot lead or teach what we do not know or practice. The work must be personal and an invested effort to increase our individual will, skill, capacity, and knowledge (Asa G. Hilliard). We commit to sustaining our learning and finding effective spaces for learning that are intended to build our intersectional racial literacy and consciousness. Our framework uses research-based theories to support the designing of the most competent racial equity leadership content for learning leaders to maximize their own understandings and growth.
Pearl #2 Empower
We believe our work is to empower leaders to position other voices in ways and roles that are critical to disrupting systems of oppression and increasing anti-racist practices beyond surface level acts of tokenism framed as “inclusion.” We also empower leaders to navigate missteps and use them as growth opportunities in midst of the hardships that follow; remaining vigilant in the process of recovery.
Pearl #3 Engage
We believe we must build positional power to engage their stakeholders who provide critical perspectives and are often negated from the conversations intended to bring resolution to systemic inequities.
Pearl #4 Equity in Action
We believe equity is not a destination, but rather, a process that serves as the umbrella for all decisions, actions, goals leading to outcomes. Equity work entails consistent education and practice; it extends beyond the thinking and reflection we do during a typical workday. We carry equity in our hearts, minds, souls, and spirits at all times. We ARE equity.