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Home My WebLink About02-16-2021 COA Inclusive Auburn Initiative Org Assessment Report Presentation Edited 2.16.21+ CITY OF AUBURN RACIAL EQUITY ANALYSIS PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Presented by: BERNARDO RUIZ February 16th, 2021 1 Land Acknowledgment First, we want to begin by acknowledging that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Muckleshoot and Coast Salish people, who since time immemorial have taken care of, hunted, fished, gathered and buried their ancestors on these lands. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water. 3 minutes Let’s take a moment of silence to reflect on these many legacies of harm and our opportunities to repair them. Let us pause to honor the historic and present-day Indigenous stewards of this land and water and leaders of racial justice who continue to build vibrant communities here today that honor, value and dignify the humanity of Black, Indigenous and People of Color. 17 min. 2 Thank you to the community of Auburn! Racing to Equity would like to express heartfelt gratitude for the community of Auburn’s support of this work. Auburn spoke with their taxpayer dollars, highlighting resounding collective support for progress toward an Inclusive Auburn. This report was possible because of the dedication, support, and resources (human, time, and financial), contributed by the community. We are thankful that we have a partner in the City of Auburn to advance racial equity and social justice so that each and every member of the community is honored, valued, and dignified, and may thrive. 3 Resolution #5427: Inclusive Auburn Initiative Three main goals: Eliminate systemic causes of disparities, racial and otherwise, in the City of Auburn Promote inclusion and create opportunities for full participation for every resident and business in the City of Auburn Reduce, and eventually eliminate, disparities of outcomes in our community 4 Resolution #5427: Inclusive Auburn Initiative Phase 1: Provide professional development to senior city Leadership and City Council Phase 2: Professional development for managers and staff. Reach out to staff and community members for participation in surveys and focus groups. This presentation will give an overview of the findings and recommendations brought about by the results of the data collection in phase 2. 5 DEMOGRAPHICS 6 You have a continuously growing BIPOC population at the City of Auburn 7 8 INCLUSIVE AUBURN WORKPLAN- COMPLETED 9 Inclusive Auburn Accomplishments: 2019 Council Adopted City Resolution 5427 Inclusive Auburn Initiative City Contract with Racing to Equity Consultants Started organizational analysis 48 hours Racial Equity Leadership Professional Development Directors & Mayor Consultant community engagement (introduction and community contacts) Begun hosting community outreach recruitment events to increase engagement from diverse populations for police department recruiting Removed financial barriers to police department written testing process Provided Implicit bias training for police officers in conjunction with King County Sheriffs Dept Implemented HR annual report for diversity of hiring statistics 10 Inclusive Auburn Accomplishments: 2020 Completed employee survey Completed initial employee focus group meetings Hired Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Manager Completed Director/Management survey 32 hours City Council Professional Development Governing for Equity Community outreach/ engagement for survey participation. Completed community survey Held virtual all-staff keynote speech with Erin Jones Completed City's application to and accepted into GARE (Government Alliance for Racial Equity) Draft City-wide Equity Policy Implementing blind screening for employment applications, removing identifying information of applicants. 11 Inclusive Auburn Accomplishments Cont’d: 2020 Implementing blind screening for employment applications removing identifying information of applicants External job postings updated to reflect the City’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion under the Inclusive Auburn Initiative Customized recruitment outreach plan for job vacancies; Reaching out to culturally specific organizations to assist with recruitment of underrepresented populations Review applicant pool data for demographics (race, ethnicity, gender, etc.) to evaluate applicant pool diversity Increasing access to higher volume of candidates using pre-screening interviews (15 min), job competency tests prior to traditional 1-hour interviews 12 Inclusive Auburn Accomplishments Cont’d: 2020 Job selection tools will be viewed by HR through an equity lens Include a $1,000 diversity and equity training stipend with each of the larger Human Service grants that we provided to non-profit agencies. Took first step of a multi-step and multi-year effort to overhaul how we target our community matching grants in order to target those dollars into neighborhoods in need. Added a diversity and equity priority to the Housing Action Plan that is currently under development. This is the first policy document developed by Community Development to include this priority. Applied for and received King County Youth Sport’s Grant for the development of a bike park (Cedar Lanes), a categorically underserved neighborhood Developed draft Racial Equity Toolkit 13 METHODOLOGY 14 Three-pronged Data Collection Approach Historical: Evaluation of data sources such as the Imagine Auburn report, Auburn’s organizational chart, past evaluation reports, Human Resources Documents, etc. Qualitative: Focus groups, interviews and surveys Quantitative: Three online surveys “Inclusive Auburn Comprehensive Value Statement Survey” for City of Auburn directors and senior management (30 responses) “Inclusive Auburn Staff Survey” for all City of Auburn Staff (198 responses) “Inclusive Auburn Community Survey” for all community members. (240 responses) 15 FINDINGS 16 G.A.R.E’s framework for Institutionalizing Racial Equity Normalize >> Organize >> Operationalize Findings will be presented in these three categories. 17 Barriers to Progress: Normalizing No city-wide definition of racial equity or social justice. Lack of clarity around the intent and implementation plan for the Inclusive Auburn Initiative. Lack of professional development opportunities within the City of Auburn. Relatively low staffing levels leave people with “too much on their plates”. Lack of collective understanding of the benefit and necessity of implementing the Inclusive Auburn Initiative. 18 Barriers to Progress: Organizing City of Auburn created a Community Facing Workgroup to advance community engagement and the Inclusive Auburn Initiative. City of Auburn staff is unclear about the services they provide to residents of color and other historically marginalized populations. City of Auburn leaders cannot currently identify which gaps in services, opportunities, and supports they are eliminating with the Inclusive Auburn Initiative. Not every city department has set Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and Timely bound (S.M.A.R.T) goals or benchmarks to advancing the Inclusive Auburn Initiative. City of Auburn leaders show a need to continue gaining more in-depth knowledge of recognizing culturally sustaining practices or lack thereof. Disaggregated resident data is not currently available and therefore not regularly utilized. Creating and implementing a City of Auburn Racial Equity team does not appear to be a top priority for the City of Auburn. 19 Barriers to Progress: Operationalizing The City of Auburn does not appear to have a Citywide Strategic Plan. Nor does it appear to have a plan for advancing racial equity and social justice. The city currently lacks the systems or capacity to regularly generate disaggregated data. While the City of Auburn has created strategies for progress within the Inclusive Auburn initiative, interview respondents were unable to identify these strategies or how they are being implemented. City of Auburn does not have a dedicated line budget item to support the implementation of the Inclusive Auburn Initiative. No systemic approach to engaging with ethnically and linguistically diverse populations. No evidence of mandatory culturally sustaining professional development for City of Auburn staff; therefore this initiative is perceived as not crucial for City government. There is only one job description citywide that has clearly outlined responsibilities for implementing the Inclusive Auburn Initiative. 20 Opportunities for progress Stakeholders agree that ensuring the Inclusive Auburn Initiative’s success should be a top priority among leaders and staff. The systemic support of the Initiative provided by City Leadership is of great importance in ensuring lasting success. The City of Auburn staff are professional and take their responsibilities of being public servants very seriously. All stakeholders would better understand expectations, priorities, and procedures if they were consistently and clearly applied across all City Departments. 21 Opportunities for progress City of Auburn leadership has created and developed strategies for incorporating racial equity strategies into their work. There is collective agreement among the City of Auburn staff and residents that the City of Auburn Initiative’s implementation should start from within the City of Auburn leadership and staff. It is necessary for City of Auburn residents, staff, and administration to share their stories as people of color and have their experiences believed and validated. 22 RECOMMENDATIONS 23 G.A.R.E’s framework for Institutionalizing Racial Equity Normalize >> Organize >> Operationalize Recommendations will be presented in these three categories. 24 Recommendations: Normalize Ensure that the implementation of the Initiative becomes a collective and shared responsibility for each and every City of Auburn Team member. Hire and retain leaders and staff with a shared racial equity analysis. Provide Adaptive Leadership professional development to all City of Auburn Staff. Make a public declaration of the City of Auburn’s Inclusive Auburn Initiative. 25 Recommendations: Organize Provide residents and staff with the tools to engage in informed decision making. Strengthen and formalize the work of the Community Facing Workgroup to advance community engagement and the Inclusive Auburn Initiative. Continue to grow and develop the Office of Racial Equity and Inclusion. Develop and maintain partnerships with other cities / governmental agencies and officials. Create a system for disaggregation and proper use of data to identify and eliminate access and opportunity gaps for residents and staff. 26 Recommendations: Operationalize Develop a comprehensive City of Auburn Strategic Plan. Create a Citywide Inclusive Auburn Initiative strategy and implementation plan to support the implementation of this Initiative and advance diversity, equity and inclusion. Implement the systemic use of a Racial Equity Tool. Implement a City of Auburn Racial Equity Policy and develop a procedure for its implementation. Build a Leadership Development pipeline or create a succession plan to ensure that the city leadership is reflective of its resident population. 27 INCLUSIVE AUBURN WORKPLAN- CONTINUED 28 Inclusive Auburn Workplan: 2021 Create and send out Request for Proposal for Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Training Foundational Racial Equity & Implicit Bias Training: staff & management Develop City Leadership Antiracist, Equity & Inclusion Statement Racial Equity Team development & training Racial Equity Tool (Lens) training Complete Racial Equity Toolkit Development Complete City-wide Equity Policy Department level policy review & development Coordinate 2021 All-staff keynote. Community engagement – conduct focus groups and committee for racial equity. 29 Inclusive Auburn Workplan: 2021 Citywide strategic plan development IN PROCESS Employment interview panels will be representative of the diversity of the City's workforce and community served; increase diversity on interview panels; internal/external evaluators, community members, etc. Specific behaviorally-based interview questions will be used to evaluate candidate competencies in the areas of diversity, inclusion and equity city-wide Managers with screening/hiring responsibilities and individuals evaluating applicants or applicant materials will receive training on cultural awareness and other equity training Interview panelists will receive training on implicit bias and discriminatory practices prior to beginning interviews 30 Inclusive Auburn Workplan: 2021 Expand reporting & metrics on diversity and hiring statistics as an internal audit to measure effectiveness of strategies Joined the Seattle-King County State of Play coalition that engages in policy advocacy, programs, research designed to increase play equity and remove barriers to sport and play opportunities. COMPLETED 31 CONCLUSION 32 We are inspired to share the hopefulness shown by City Leadership and staff and the fact that hundreds of people are ready for progress and understand it will take individual and collective learning, strategy, and decisive action. The City of Auburn must strengthen their commitment and willingness to offer the necessary support, vision, strategies, funding, and courage to lead with racial equity at the forefront. As Mayor Backus has stated numerous times, "this is one of the most, if not the most, important issues of our time." The Racing to Equity Consulting Group is confident and hopeful that under the leadership of Mayor Backus, her Cabinet, and the Auburn City Council, the City of Auburn will advance racial equity and social justice to honor, value, and dignify the humanity of each and every resident and city staff. 33 QUESTIONS 34 RESOURCES 35 Cobb, F., Krownapple, John. (2019). 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