About Us
Equity and justice for all, statewide across state government.
Equity requires a commitment to bold action.
Foundationally, we acknowledge that state government hasn’t always worked well for many people. While government services have benefited some families, there are also practices, policies, procedures, and people that have been detrimental to those from the global majority. We are upfront about that understanding, and we take it into account for all the work we do. This is why our infrastructure is based in pro-equity anti-racism, PEAR. We must uproot these harmful ideals from the ways we do business and serve Washingtonians.
We Are Different Because...
- we work to diligently hold ourselves accountable.
- we are bold in our transparency.
- we take responsibility even when it may be uncomfortable.
- we welcome difficult discussions, knowing we can learn and grow from them.
- we work to uproot our own conscious bias and internalized racial oppression.
- we make commitments toward racial equity and measure ourselves overtly.
We are different because we won’t settle for less than a government that works for all Washingtonians.
Join us and be different too.
Our Process
Lay a Strong Foundation
Center Equity in all laws, policies, rules, operations, programs, practices, and interactions.
Maximize the System We Have
Through stronger policy, integration, and collaboration across systems, sectors, and jurisdictions to make the most of the system we have.
Build the System We Need
Begin to dismantle racism by addressing root causes through bold systemic and cultural change and build structural fairness and belonging for individuals and groups that currently experience discrimination, racism, or multiple forms of oppression.
Our Pledge
Partner
We will partner with others to be a fully inclusive, multi-cultural, anti-racist state.
Lead
We will lead the state toward becoming a truly transformed government enterprise – one that embeds equity and justice into every action, and where doing so is simply the way state government works.
Live Our Values
Our actions and decisions will be guided by our principles and values.
Build Relationships
We will build relationships with agencies, communities, and lawmakers to reframe state government to work in a way that bridges opportunity gaps and reduces disparities and achieve equitable and just outcomes for everyone in Washington.
Our Priorities
Build Capacity
To build our internal capacity and strengthen our strategy, our priorities for the year include filling all open positions within the Office, building a budget tracking system, and hiring a lobbyist and legislative officer.
Meet Our Mandates
Meeting our mandates is our primary goal for this biennium. By building capacity, we will be able to support agencies in implementing PEAR, build our strategy for accountability and reporting in equity, deploy our communications strategy, and develop the universal access plan.
Systems Change
We are focused on supporting select key policy areas this year including Digital Equity, Community Engagement, Enterprise Equity Strategy, and Relational Partnerships.
Access
Creating and supporting barrier-free design, standards, systems, processes, and environments so that all individuals, regardless of ability, background, identity, or situation, can participate in, use, and enjoy the benefits of: employment, programs, services, activities, communication, facilities, electronic information technology, and business opportunities.
Belonging
Values and practices that ensure no person is left out of our circle of concern. Belonging means more than just having access, being seen, or feeling included. It means that every member of society has a meaningful voice, that their well-being is considered, and that they can participate in the design of political, social, and cultural structures.
Dignity
We respect the sacred nature of each individual’s personhood. We honor the worth due each person by virtue of their existence as a human being. Human lives have an unimpeachable value simply because they are human, and therefore deserving of a baseline level of respect. That baseline requires more than the absence of violence, discrimination, and authoritarianism. It means giving individuals the freedom to pursue their own happiness and purpose.
Equity
Systemic, full, and true access to opportunities, power, and resources that allow all people to achieve their full potential and thrive. Our actions and decisions will be guided by the following principles of equity (RCW 43.06D):
- Equity is not equality. Equity requires developing, strengthening, and supporting policies and procedures that distribute and prioritize resources to people in identified groups who have been historically and currently are marginalized, including tribes;
- Equity requires the elimination of systemic barriers that have been deeply entrenched in systems of inequality and oppression; and
- Equity achieves procedural and outcome fairness, promoting dignity, honor, and respect for all people.
Justice
We make or do right that which has been done wrong. We embody what love looks like in action.
Love
Sometimes defined as a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties. Love requires us to:
- Fumble Forward: The idea that we are each on a journey. We recognize that while we are on this journey, we are doing the best we can with the tools, conditions, and knowledge we have. We will have compassion and care for one another as we grow.
- Stay committed; stay open; stay adaptive: Our collective willingness to embrace the concept that words matter and that the labels we ascribe to ourselves are not simply ways of being “politically correct,” they are validations of our humanity. We create and support belonging by expressing love to one another and treating others as they want to be identified and treated. We will check our fear-based decisions to ensure a better future for all is achieved.
- Be humble: We own our stories, points-of-view, successes, and mistakes. We admit we do not know everything, in fact no one does, and that instead, we all have something learn from one another. We acknowledge there are things we do not know so we can approach each other with love.
Ubuntu
A South African (Nguni Bantu) term meaning “humanity,” often translated as “I am because we are,” stresses the importance of the interconnectedness of humanity. We recognize that our destinies are linked and we need each other to survive.
Access
Belonging
Dignity
Equity
Justice
Love
Ubuntu