Addressing Inequities in our Communitiesmncma.org/vertical/Sites/{A344F11D-C644-42FD-A90B... · LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENT ! ALLIANCE ON ! RACE & EQUITY! Addressing Inequities

LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENT !ALLIANCE ON !RACE & EQUITY ! !

Addressing Inequities in our

Communities

Race Matters: Tools and Strategies For Government to

Advance Racial Equity

Julie Nelson

February 13, 2015


Realizing our values •  All men are created equal •  With liberty and justice for all •  … this nation, under God, shall

have a new birth of freedom—and government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth


The Circle of Human Concern

Who belongs?

Who doesn’t belong?


History of government

Government explicitly creates

and maintains racial inequity

Explicit

Discrimination illegal, but

“race-neutral” policies and

practices perpetuate inequity.

Implicit

Proactive polices, practices and

procedures for achieving racial

equity

Government for racial equity


A national network of government working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all.

Government Alliance on Race and Equity


Government Alliance on Race and Equity Lessons learned:

Use a shared analysis

Build capacity

Implement tools

Partner with others

Use data and metrics

Operate with urgency


Equity

Equality


Racial inequity in the U.S.

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��

��


Racial equity means: •  “Closing the gaps” so that race does not

predict one’s success, while also improving outcomes for all

•  To do so, have to: ü  Target strategies to close the gaps ü  Move beyond “services” and focus on

changing policies, institutions and structures


Bias The evalua;on of one group and its members rela;ve to another.

Source: Unconscious (Implicit) Bias and Health Disparities: Where Do We Go from Here?

We all carry bias, or prejudgment. Ac;ng on biases can be discriminatory and can create nega;ve outcomes for par;cular groups.

10


Source: Unconscious (Implicit) Bias and Health Disparities: Where Do We Go from Here?

Explicit bias Expressed directly

Aware of bias

Operates consciously

Example – Sign in the window of an apartment

building – “we don’t rent to _____”

Implicit bias Expressed indirectly

Unaware of bias

Operates sub-‐consciously

Example – a property manager doing more

criminal background checks on African Americans than

whites.

11


When conductors were placed behind a screen, the percentage of female new hires for orchestral jobs increased 25% – 46%.

Examples of implicit bias


Identical resumes, apart from names.

White-sounding names – 50% more callbacks than African-American sounding names.

Susan Smith

LaKesha Washington

Examples of implicit bias ü Job search


What to do with bias? •  Suppressing or denying biased thoughts can

actually increase prejudice rather than eradicate it.

•  Research has confirmed that if we openly acknowledge and directly challenge our biases, we can make more progress.


Ins2tu2onal / Explicit

Policies which explicitly discriminate against a group. Example: Police department refusing to hire people of color.

Ins2tu2onal / Implicit

Policies that nega7vely impact one group uninten7onally. Example: Police department focusing on street-‐level drug arrests.

Individual / Explicit

Prejudice in ac7on – discrimina7on. Example: Police officer calling someone an ethnic slur while arres;ng them.

Individual / Implicit

Unconscious a<tudes and beliefs. Example: Police officer calling for back-‐up more oQen when stopping a person of color.


Ins2tu2onal / Explicit

Policies which explicitly discriminate against a group.

Ins2tu2onal / Implicit

Policies that nega7vely impact one group uninten7onally.

Individual / Explicit

Prejudice in ac7on – discrimina7on.

Individual / Implicit

Unconscious a<tudes and beliefs.

In your city?


Individual racism: •  Pre-‐judgment, bias, or discrimina;on by an individual based

on race.

structural

ins2tu2onal

individual

Ins2tu2onal racism: •  Policies, prac;ces and procedures that

work beRer for white people than for people of color, oQen uninten;onally or inadvertently.

Structural racism: •  A history and current reality of

ins;tu;onal racism across all ins;tu;ons, combining to create a system that nega;vely impacts communi;es of color.


18

Racial equity in the

community

Educa;on

Jobs

Criminal Jus;ce Housing

Equitable Development

Working across systems to achieve equity


Government Alliance on Race and Equity Lessons learned:

Use a shared analysis

Build capacity

Implement tools

Partner with others

Use data and metrics

Operate with urgency


RACE AND SOCIALJUSTICE COMMUNITY ROUNTABLE

CORE TEAM

-‐ In c lu s ive O u tre a c h a n d P u b lic E n g a g e m e n t-‐ W o rk fo rc e E q u ity-‐ C o n tra c tin g E q u ity-‐ Im m ig ra n t a n d R e fu g e e A c c e s s to S e rv ic e s

Direct Reporting RelationshipIndirect Reporting Relationship

CHANGE TEAMS

CITY DEPARTMENTS RSJI COORDINATING TEAM (S O C R )

RSJI SUB-CABINET

MAYOR - CITY COUNCIL

INTERDEPARTMENTAL TEAMS •  Equity in Education •  Equitable Development •  Equity in Criminal Justice •  Inclusive Outreach and Public Engagement •  Workforce Equity •  Contracting Equity •  Campaign for Racial Equity

GOVERNING FOR RACIAL EQUITY

NETWORK

Working Groups

RSJI Strategy Team – The Ini;a;ve managing team from the SeaRle Office of Civil Rights (SOCR) Change Team – A group of employees in each department that help implement RSJI ac;vi;es and work plans. Core Team – A Citywide leadership development team of 25 people that work with IDT’s to implement RSJI ac;vi;es. RSJI Sub-‐Cabinet – Department Directors or depu;es who advise and review RSJI ac;vi;es. Interdepartmental Teams – Convened by lead departments to develop and implement Citywide strategies and community partnerships to address racial inequity. RSJ Community Roundtable – A coali;on of 25 government and community based organiza;ons working for racial equity in King County. Governing for Racial Equity Network – A regional network of government agencies in Washington, Oregon and northern California working on issues of equity.

EXAMPLE – SeaRle Race and Social Jus;ce Ini;a;ve Organiza;on

RSJI STRATEGY TEAM


Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative Employee Survey 2012

��

��

��

��

��

�� !�� "��

�#�

� ��

“Examine impact of race at work”

“Actively promoting RSJI changes”

“Dept and City making progress”


“Racial equity government priority”

“Progress on racial equity”

“Schools are good or very good”

Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative Community Survey 2012


•  Proac;vely seeks to eliminate inequi;es and advance equity

•  Iden;fies clear goals and objec;ves, measurable outcomes

•  Develops mechanisms for successful implementa;on

Racial Equity Tool

23


A Racial Equity Tool can be used in budget, policy and program decisions.

Examples:

ü  Streetlights / complaint-based systems

ü Restrictions on use of criminal background checks in hiring processes

ü Contracting policies and procedures

ü Court appearances


It’s more than just talk – ACT

• AFFIRM 1.  Start with the heart 2.  Explain why we are all in this together

• COUNTER 3.  Explain why we have the problem 4.  Take on race directly

•  TRANSFORM 5.  Reframe winners and losers 6.  End with heart and a solu;on

(from the Center for Social Inclusion)


It’s more than just talk – ACT

•  AFFIRM ü All children deserve a high quality, public educa;on.

•  COUNTER ü Currently, about 50% of African-‐American, La;no and Na;ve American students graduate from high school on ;me.

ü Harsh, puni;ve discipline based on subjec;ve infrac;ons drive the outcome. We need to change the policy.

•  TRANSFORM ü Implemen;ng aQer-‐school programs that use a restora;ve jus;ce approach to disciplinary challenges will benefit all of our children.

(from the Center for Social Inclusion)


political concept

political action

Van Jones’s “Heart Space/Head Space Grid” from Rebuild the Dream (2012)


Rational

Political concept

Political action

Emotional


Rational

Political concept

Political action

Emotional

HEAD SPACE


Head space

•  Where Ra;onal + Conceptual meet •  Think tanks, academics and policy wonks •  Facts and ra;onal arguments •  One cannot make meaningful, effec;ve, and

las;ng change without a sober view of the data combined with sound policy prescrip;ons


Rational

Political concept

Political action

Emotional

HEAD SPACE

HEART SPACE


Heart Space

•  Here emo;ons have sway •  Great storytellers, ar;sts, preachers, and other

resonant communicators •  Energizing emo;ons shared: feelings of love and

rage, contempt and compassion, pride and shame

•  Needed for inspira;on and mo;va;on


Rational

Political concept

Political action

Emotional

HEAD SPACE

HEART SPACE

OUTSIDE GAME


Outside game

•  Where emo;on and ac;on meet •  Ac;vists, organizers and volunteers •  Ac;on not based on their immediate, ra;onal self

interest, but on what feels right-‐ what moves their heart


Rational

Political concept

Political action

Emotional

HEAD SPACE

HEART SPACE

OUTSIDE GAME

INSIDE GAME

LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENT !ALLIANCE ON !RACE & EQUITY ! !Inside game

•  Where reason meets ac;on •  Elected officials, paid lobbyists, party

opera;ves, staff members at legisla;ve and bureaucra;c levels

•  People who have enough power, standing, access or influence to impact the behavior of the decision makers

•  Natural home of the deal maker-‐ cold blooded maneuver and necessary compromise


Head and heart

•  All four quadrants are important depending on the stage of making change.

•  The key is a dynamic balance.


Rational

Political concept

Political action

Emotional

HEAD SPACE

INSTUTIONALIZE EQUITY

HEART SPACE

URGENCY

OUTSIDE GAME

ROLE OF COMMUNITY

INSIDE GAME

ROLE OF GOVERMENT


Opportuni2es for government

In small groups

– What are the opportuni;es and challenges in your own jurisdic;on?

– What kinds of support do you need to promote ins;tu;onal and structural equity?

39


A national network of government working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all.

Government Alliance on Race and Equity


3-prong strategy

u Support a cohort of governmental jurisdictions.

u Develop a “pathway for entry” for new jurisdictions.

u Build cross-sector collaborations to achieve equity in our communities.


Contact information Government Alliance on Race and Equity [email protected] (206) 816-5104

Documents

Addressing Inequities in our Communitiesmncma.org/vertical/Sites/{A344F11D-C644-42FD-A90B... · LOCAL AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENT ! ALLIANCE ON ! RACE & EQUITY! Addressing Inequities