RESOURCES
RSJI resources
RSJI today:
RSJI Three Year Plan 2012-2014 – An assessment of RSJI’s last three years, and a description of the Initiative’s new three-year plan.
Race and Social Justice Initiative Summary – A two-page overview of the Race and Social Justice Initiative.
RSJI Our Approach – A summary of the Initiative’s goals and strategies, along with a capsule history.
Report 2008: Looking Back, Moving Forward (full-length report)
2008 RSJI Overview (executive summary)
What we teach:
RSJI Training and Education – A description of the training and education available to Seattle City employees.
Training overview: Race: the Power of an Illusion – eight-hour training for City of Seattle employees.
Structural Racism:
- Defining racism – definitions of personal, institutional and structural racism.
- Dropped out / Pushed Out exercise – a training exercise to recognize different forms of racism.
- Seattle Disparities 2011 – Does racism play a factor in the quality of life and access to opportunities and services in Seattle?
- Why Lead with Race? – An explanation for RSJI’s focus on race, and its relationship to other forms of inequity.
Infrastructure:
RSJI Organization Chart – a chart that shows the connections of RSJI within Seattle City government.
Change Team Charter Template – Guidelines for departmental Change Teams’ structure and governance.
Core Team recruitment announcement – Information distributed to City employees during Core Team recruitment periods (every two years).
City Council Resolution: November 30, 2009 – Seattle City Council’s resolution of support for RSJI.
RSJ Community Roundtable:
RSJI Took Kit - Tools and guidelines for considering racial equity when developing policies, programs and services:
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Inclusive Outreach and Public Engagement Guide – Tools and guidelines for incorporating racial equity in community outreach and public processes.
What we’ve accomplished:
RSJI Accomplishments: 2009-2011 – a summary of actions taken as a result of RSJI.
Inclusive Outreach Executive Order 4/4/08 – Mayor’s Executive Order directing City departments to conduct community outreach and engagement that reflects Seattle’s racial and cultural diversity.
Interpretation and Translation Executive Order 1/7/07 – Mayor’s Executive Order affirming the City of Seattle’s commitment to provide equal access to services to all residents, including those with limited English proficiency.
Mayor’s Executive Order 4/23/10: Outreach to Women and Minority Owned Businesses – Mayor’s Executive Order strengthening the City’s commitment to utilize women and minority owned businesses, and outlining steps to ensure Citywide accountability.
RSJI 2010 Employee Survey – Executive summary of a Citywide employee survey about RSJI in the fall of 2010.
Workforce Equity: – A set of documents that outlines steps taken by the City of Seattle to ensure equity in its own hiring and promotion policies.
- RSJI and Workforce Equity – a summary of RSJI’s workforce equity actions
- Out-of-Class Policy – a new Citywide policy for out-of-class assignments
- Out-of-Class Best Practices – best practices for departments’ use of out-of-class assignments
Other Resources
Consultant Roster – An internal list maintained by the City of Seattle of RSJ consultants and practitioners.
City of Seattle Business Services Portal - easy online access to consultant contracts and information.
Other online resources from around the country
Technical Assistance Tools
- Lessons Learned: How Communities are Addressing Racial Inequities - Executive Summary of a report by Maggie Potapchuk, MP Associates, in consultation with the Aspen Institute Roundtable for Community Change and the National League of Cities Institute.
- Dismantling Racism: a resource book for social change groups - This excellent resource from Western States Center contains a wealth of analysis, definitions and shared language, and strategies for implementing a race and social justice agenda.
- Race and Social Justice Trainer Selection Criteria Tool - Information from The Aspen Institute, Queenstown Maryland.
Seattle demographics
- Seattle's Population and Demographics – A set of maps and tables showing population statistics and housing patterns in Seattle.
- Seattle Parks and Recreation: Demographic Overview of Seattle’s Communities – Population density, race/ethnicity, age, etc. (based on Census 2000 data)
- Seattle Maps – Seattle maps online.
Seattle history
- The Seattle Open Housing Campaign, 1959-1968 – From the Seattle Municipal Archives Digital Document Library.
- Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project – University of Washington
- HistoryLink.org – Free online encyclopedia of Washington State history.
Key RSJI Docs in PDF
Upcoming Events
A workshop on achieving racial equity in school discipline.Saturday, June 1
9:00 AM -12:00 PM
more
Join Us!
Video
RSJI: Working for Racial Equity
in City Government
A video highlighting the work of the Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI) featuring the voices of RSJ Community Roundtable members, Mayor Mike McGinn, City employees and RSJI staff on why the work to eliminate racial disparities is critical and how we are working together as government and community to achieve racial equity.
RSJI Information in Translation/English:
| Amharic | Cambodian |
| Chinese | Korean |
| Oromo | Somali |
| Spanish | Tagalog |
| Tigrigna | Vietnamese |
Other RSJI Documents
- Mayor's Executive Order 4/23/10: Outreach to Women and Minority Owned Businesses Mayor McGinn issued Executive Order 2010-5 on April 23, 2010 concerning outreach to women and minority businesses. The Order strengthens the City's commitment utilize women and minority owned businesses, and outlines steps for departments to ensure Citywide accountability.
- City Council Resolution Directing Race and Social Justice Work to Continue
- Full text of the Council's Resolution #31164
- Report 2008: Looking Back, Moving Forward [long report]
- 2008 RSJI Overview (executive summary)
In order to get beyond racism, we must first take account of race. There is no other way. 