Newsletter Vol. 6 No. 9 – September 2026

Posted on September 4, 2026September 4, 2026

NAVIGATION

The Tax We Don’t Talk About

by Jessie Anderson

My path into HR wasn’t linear. It moved through hospitality, through nonprofits, and through city government. And at every stop, I was paying a tax I didn’t fully have a name for yet: the cost of navigating spaces that weren’t built for me while simultaneously trying to make them better for everyone else. As I moved through different workplaces, one thing became clear: the people most impacted by broken systems are rarely the ones with the loudest voices in fixing them.

I know what it feels like to be that person. To be the one raising the thing nobody wants to raise. To smile through a meeting where your experience is being theorized about by people who have never lived it. To go home and wonder whether speaking up made anything better or just made you more visible in the wrong ways.

As an HR professional, my job is to build the systems that make workplaces work for everyone. But I’m also a Black woman navigating those same systems, and those two realities don’t always sit comfortably together.

Vermont is a particular kind of place to hold that tension. It’s small, relationship-driven, and predominantly white. When you’re one of the few BIPOC professionals in your sector, there’s nowhere to disappear. You feel the gap between what an organization says it values and what it actually does because that gap often lands directly on you.

I’ve sat in a lot of rooms where equity was the stated goal: conference rooms, staff meetings, strategic planning sessions where someone put “equity” on a slide and everyone nodded. I’ve watched organizations adopt it as a core value, print it in their handbooks, and thread it through their job postings. And I’ve watched those same organizations struggle to name a single concrete thing they changed because of it.

The collapse of equity initiatives the moment they require something real–a policy change, a budget line, or an uncomfortable conversation–is nothing new. Real equity requires organizations to ask hard questions about who holds power, who gets access to development opportunities, whose concerns get escalated, and whose get managed. It requires people inside institutions to name what they see, even when it’s uncomfortable, even when it puts them at risk.

But I also know what it looks like when it works. When leadership actually changes a policy because someone told the truth. When a benefits system gets redesigned because someone asked who it was leaving out. When an organization decides that discomfort is not a reason to stop.

For those of us in Vermont’s BIPOC community navigating professional spaces, this work often falls disproportionately on us. We’re doing our jobs AND educating our colleagues AND managing the emotional labor of existing in spaces that weren’t built with us in mind. That tax doesn’t show up on a pay stub. It shows up in the exhaustion at the end of a meeting where you were the only one. In the calculation you run before deciding whether to speak up. In the energy spent making yourself legible to people who have never had to think about it. Naming it isn’t about exhausting ourselves further; it’s the first step toward refusing to pay it alone.

Equity lives in the details: who gets the stretch assignment, whether your wellness program reflects the community it serves, and whether your leadership team looks anything like the people your organization claims to serve. Because when equity is decorative, we pay the price.

About the Author

Jessie Anderson is a People & Culture professional and community builder based in Burlington, Vermont. With a background spanning HR leadership in local government, nonprofits, and mission-driven organizations, Jessie is passionate about building workplaces where people can actually thrive. She holds an MS in Organizational Development & Human Relations from Champlain College and a BA in Psychology from Saint Michael’s College. Beyond her professional work, Jessie supports girls’ education and empowerment programming in Liberia and is a certified Empowerment Self-Defense instructor.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

news FROM THE NETWORK

Other Resources
Apply to Enroll Now: StartUp Business Planning Course	Offered in September 2026, the course is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs who are ready to move beyond the idea stage and take concrete steps toward starting or growing a business. Click here to learn more.
Business Resources and Growth Inventory Survey	The Department of Economic Development created the following short survey to better understand the needs of Vermont businesses. If you own a business in Vermont, please take 5 minutes to complete the survey.
Snowsports and Outdoor Adventure Recreation Professional Certificate	The UVM Snowsports & Outdoor Adventure Recreation (SOAR) Certificate is a 15-week online program that builds business, operations, and sustainability skills for the outdoor industry. Learn from Vermont’s recreation leaders and prepare for careers in ski resort management, outdoor marketing, and adventure tourism.
Office Space Available for BIPOC Clinicians or Wellness Providers	Email Linda Lai Nga Li at linda@cattbyll.com or call 802-233-1527 to learn more!
50% Off Slope Space Membership for VT PoC Members!	Slope Space is a coworking community at Mountain Green Resort in Killington — the only dedicated coworking space at a major East Coast ski resort. We offer flexible workspace solutions for freelancers, remote workers, and small businesses, including hourly drop-ins, shared desks, and dedicated desks, all backed by 1 Gbps business fiber. Check the newsletter in your email for the code!
Apply by September 29: Educator of Color Retreat	Hosted by the Vermont Educators of Color Association – A grassroots group working to build relationships and make change for educators of color in Vermont. While many of us are k-12 educators, we welcome educators in any setting from early education, to after school, to higher education, please join us to heal and connect! This retreat is only for self-identified educators of color!
Apply by September 25: Braiding Seeds Fellowship	For beginning BIPOC farmers and land stewards, 18 years of age and older, who are cultivating community and more resilient food futures!

EVENTS

Date	Event	Time	Location
Sept 9, 16, 23, 30	Danville Farmers Market	3:30 PM – 7:00 PM	Danville
Sept 10, 13	Hair Love Clinic for BIPOC Youth and Caregivers	Various Times	Morrisville
Sept 11-13	South End Art Hop	Various Times	Burlington
Sept 11, 13, 19, 20, 27, Oct 3	Abolition in Action Farms: Skill-Share Sessions ($$)	Various Times	Virtual
Sept 12, 19, 26	​St. Johnsbury Farmers Market	9:00 AM – 1:00 PM	St. Johnsbury
Sept 12, 19, 26	Burlington Farmers Market	9:00 AM – 2:00 PM	Burlington
Sept 12, 19, 26	Shelburne Farmers Market	9:00 AM – 1:00 PM	Shelburne
Sept 12	Beading is Mashkiki (Medicine) Workshop with Jennifer Morton ($$)	10:00 AM – 2:00 PM	Winooski
Sept 12	3rd Annual Rutland Whoopie Pie Festival	12:00 PM – 4:00 PM	Rutland
Sept 12	Celebrate The Root’s 13th Anniversary	1:30 PM – 4:30 PM	Brattleboro
Sept 15	The Capoeira Sessions	5:30 PM – 7:30 PM	Brattleboro
Sept 17	The Root Social Justice Center: BIPOC Writers Group	5:30 PM – 7:30 PM	Virtual
Sept 18-19	Vermont Wine & Harvest Festival ($$)	TBD	Wilmington
Sept 19-20	Chester Festival	9:00 AM	Chester
Sept 19	Latin-American Connection Celebration	12:00 PM – 9:00 PM	Burlington
Sept 20, 27	The Root Social Justice Center: Youth & Adult D&D	4:00 PM – 5:30 PM	Brattleboro
Sept 20	Jensen McRae at Higher Ground ($$)	8:00 PM	South Burlington
Sept 26	The Root Social Justice Center: BIPOC Hair Shop	8:00 AM – 8:00 PM	Brattleboro
Sept 26	Bristol Harvest Festival	10:00 AM – 3:00 PM	Bristol
Sept 26	BTV Market	11:00 AM – 3:00 PM	Burlington
Sept 26	Killington Brewfest ($$)	1:00 PM	Killington
Sept 30	The Flynn: Samara Joy ($$)	7:30 PM	Burlington
Sept 30	Dwight + Nicole at Higher Ground ($$)	8:00 PM	South Burlington

trainings & professional development

Date	Workshop	Time	Location
All Month	Vermont Joblink: Interview Skills, Career Guidance, Resume Prep, Etc.	Multiple
All Month	FREE Professional Development Workshops for Artists	Multiple
Sept 9, 16	VtSBDC: Starting Your Own Business	10:00 AM – 11:15 AM	Virtual
Sept 16	CVOEO: Avoiding Scams and Financial Fraud	11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Virtual
Sept 16	Hobby to Business Workshop	6:00 PM – 8:00 PM	Burlington
Sept 19	2026 Women’s Economic Opportunity Conference	8:15 AM – 3:30 PM	Randolph
Sept 24	BIPOC Financial Empowerment Program	6:00 PM – 7:00 PM	Virtual
Oct 6	Vermont Community Leadership Summit	8:00 AM – 4:00 PM	Castleton
Nov 4	Annual NEK Together Conference	TBD	Island Pond
Nov 10	2026 Vermont Nonprofit Summit	8:30 AM – 4:00 PM	South Burlington

FUNDING & GRANTS

Due Date	Grant	Purpose
September 31	Building Communities Grants	Applicant must be a non-profit organization, regional economic development organization, or municipality.
November 1	Nonprofit Development and Support Grant Program	Supports projects that strengthen organizational effectiveness and long-term sustainability, helping nonprofits better serve their communities.
Rolling	Charity Bridge Fund	Supports nonprofits facing federal funding cuts.
Rolling	UVM Medical Center Community Health Investment Fund	For federally recognized nonprofit or government organizations, must primarily support community members living in the UVM Medical Center’s primary health service areas and align with one or more of the 2025 top community health priorities.
Rolling	Green Mountain Home Repair	Offering grants up for home health & safety repairs for income eligible homeowners in the following towns: Andover, Jamaica, Londonderry, Weston, and Windham. Income limits are based on household size.
Rolling	Haymarket People’s Fund: Urgent Response Grants	Up to $5,000 to help grassroots social change organizations respond quickly to unforeseen crises or opportunities that critically affect your organization and constituency. Includes unexpected events, political crises, or organizing opportunities. Grants are NOT to be used for ongoing program work (including expenses the organization should have anticipated), for financial crises, a projected funding shortfall, or because the group missed a funding deadline.
Rolling	Nonprofit Enhanced Rebate	For eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits to purchase qualifying equipment or complete a custom project.
Rolling	Vermont Humanities Rapid Response Grants	Quick turn-around small grants for humanities-focused community projects. Awards up to $1,000.
Rolling	Grassroots Fund: Seed Grants	Support for community groups who represent a broad range of voices in their community and who are not being reached by other funders.
Rolling	New England Presenter Travel Fund	Supports travel costs associated with researching artistic work that may eventually be presented in New England.
Rolling	Community Action Team	Offers general or project support within the broad guidelines and funding provided by the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation.
Rolling	USDA Small Business Cost Share Program	Businesses with fewer than 50 employees and gross profit under $1,000,000 are eligible.
Rolling	Social Equity: Vermont Cannabis Control Board	Individuals determined to meet social equity status by the Vermont Cannabis Control Board may be eligible.

NEWS