VI. Executive Summary

“Everything seems impossible until it’s done.” –Nelson Mandela

The Washington State Pro-Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR) Ecosystem Plan & Playbook outlines the framework and tools that Washington state agencies will use to create a PEAR ecosystem in which all Washingtonians have full access to the opportunities, power, and resources they need to flourish and achieve their full potential.

PEAR Ecosystem Goals

  1. Reduce disparities in public contracting, public education, public employment, and public services (Executive Order 22-02).
  2. Improve outcomes that benefit all tribes, communities, and employees of Washington’s PEAR ecosystem (Executive Order 22-04).

Strategies to help state agencies to achieve the PEAR Ecosystem Goals include:

  1. Implement a pro-equity, anti-racism framework in partnership with relevant communities and organizations
  2. Embrace continuous learning, growing, and pivoting
  3. Consistently assess your actions’ equity impact
  4. Make values driven, data informed, upstream investments
  5. Be transparent, accountable, and operate with urgency

This document contains:

  • Definitions and Abbreviations (Section VII) commonly used in this document.
  • Introduction (Section VIII) describing what it will take for Washington state to transform from its current state to a Pro-Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR) ecosystem (future state).
  • Washington’s PEAR Ecosystem Framework (Section IX) described.
  • Washington State’s PEAR Ecosystem Strategic Plan (Section X) including vision, mission, values, goals and overall strategies, outcomes, and 2022-2027 implementation roadmap (Section XI).

Online Toolkit

The Online Toolkit (this collection of website pages) will help facilitate each state agency’s implementation of Washington’s PEAR Ecosystem Plan & Playbook. Every leader is expected to fully leverage all of the online resources. The resources provided are adaptable and can be tailored to meet the needs of each agency or organization. The contents of the Online Toolkit are listed below.

The Washington State Pro-Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR) Ecosystem Plan & Playbook (this document)

Easy as 1-2-3: PowerPoint decks, recorded trainings, and tools provided during PEAR Team Orientation sessions, including guidance for establishing a PEAR Team, completing an initial Equity Impact Assessment and PEAR Strategic Action Plan, and developing a quarterly performance tracker.

The Equity Impact Assessment (EIA) tools: Tools that can be used prior to proposing changes to agency policies, programs, and practices, including budgets and agency request legislation, to assess the potential impact on communities that historically have been marginalized and institutionally oppressed.

Language Access guides: Guides that include best practices and resources for providing language services (written translation, spoken language interpreting services, and sign language interpreting services) to individuals requiring language access to agency programs, activities, and services.

Relational Partnership Guide: Relationships are the foundation of establishing impactful teams that can produce deliverables. The Relational Partnership Guide provides guidance for building relationships with community to help establish your PEAR Teams and build and grow your community network.

Tribal government relationship guides: Guides that include information about the legal framework and requirements for the government-to-government relationship between tribes and the state of Washington and resources to assist agencies in fulfilling their legal obligations as required by Chapter 43.376 RCW.

More resources, including an entire section on the development of the Statewide Universal Access & Belonging Plan, will be added as they become available.