Insights for Strengthening Practice and Systems

In January 2026, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin filed a civil rights lawsuit against Clark Township, its police department, former mayor Salvatore Bonaccorso, and former police chief Pedro Matos. The allegations are serious: that for more than a decade, town leadership orchestrated a systematic effort to keep Black and non-white individuals out of the community through discriminatory policing. According to the lawsuit, between 2015 and 2020 Black drivers were 3.7

At HerAbdul Equity Exchange, Women’s History Month isn’t just a moment for graphics and quotes. Of course we honor the women who came before us. Of course we celebrate the milestones. Of course, we acknowledge the doors that were kicked open. But if you know me, you know I’m always going to ask the next question: What made those doors so hard to open in the first place? And a lot of the time, the answer is language. Before women were excluded from rooms, they were described i

The Words We Use Matter More Than We Think. Most of us don’t wake up in the morning trying to offend anyone. We’re doing our best, showing up for families, students, and communities with good intentions. But good intentions don’t always protect us from the impact of the words we use. Many common phrases we say without thinking actually have histories tied to harm or misrepresentation. Take the word “gypped.” People often use it to mean they were cheated, not realizing the ter

Let's Talk! One of the most common—and costly—mistakes organizations make is treating equity training as a  one-time event rather than an  ongoing practice . A single workshop, annual session, or mandatory training may check a box, but it rarely creates lasting change. When equity work is positioned as “done” after one session, organizations unintentionally signal that the learning is complete—even though the work is not. Equity Training Is Not an Event. It’s a Practice. Orga