On October 24th,  Chevon Powell of GoldenBricks Events, Chandrika Francis from Oshun Swim School, and Makaela Kroin from Washington State Parks put on a workshop for attendees of the event, which included community members and state agency employees. 

Watch our video on Belonging. Washington State's governmental agencies are on the journey of belonging, looking to uplift the people of this great state into what it feels like to belong.

Per its authorizing statute Chapter 43.06D RCW, the Office of Equity will help lead the development of a stand-alone Statewide Universal Access & Belonging Plan. The plan will support enterprise-wide investments in the following initial focus areas:

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” –African Proverb

Advancing a state government and statewide culture and reality in which each and every person belongs, matters, and has what they need to be successful requires time, commitment, and active engagement of every person who plays any role in state government.

Year 1

• Agency leaders establish their PEAR Teams to create agency PEAR Strategic Action Plans.
• Office of Equity holds PEAR Team Orientation sessions and provides technical assistance to agency leaders and their PEAR Teams.
• Agencies complete the PEAR Readiness Checklist (Available in Online Toolkit).
• Agencies complete a Baseline Equity Impact Assessment (EIA) of key business lines to identify where the needs are greatest and root causes of disparities (Available in Online Toolkit).
• Based on the results of the EIA, agencies complet

“For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” –African Proverb

The Office of Equity and all state agency leaders are responsible and accountable for implementing Executive Order 22-04, “Implementing the Washington State Pro-Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR) Plan & Playbook.”

The PEAR goals and overall strategies below guide the delivery of state goods, services, policies, and practices so all Washingtonians can participate, prosper, and achieve their full potential. The Office of Equity will partner with state agencies and communities to create an annual report to the Governor and Legislature.

Values are basic and fundamental beliefs that guide or motivate our attitudes or actions. 
They help us to determine what is important to us. Values are the motive behind 
purposeful action.

The following values reflect the common themes that surfaced during the listening sessions conducted by the Office of Equity and state agencies between May and September 2021.

Vision

Everyone in Washington has full access to the opportunities, power, and resources they need to flourish and achieve their 
full potential.

Image description: A bright sun peeks through white clouds above a fruitful pear tree in the center of the image. The tree’s roots are shown extending into the soil which provides stability and nutrients. Flowers and other plants grow from a green field surrounding the pear tree.