Transcript Structural Racism - Alliance for Metropolitan Stability

Measuring the Racial
Impacts of Public Policies
Host: Alliance for Metropolitan Stability
Presenter: Terry Keleher
Presentation Overview
• Racial Impacts Matter
• Racial Equity
• Racial Equity Impact Assessments
• Developing Equitable Policy
Racial Justice
Racial Justice ≠ Diversity
(Diversity = Variety)
Racial Justice ≠ Equality
(Equality = Sameness)
Racial Justice = Equity
(Equity = Fairness, Justice)
Racial Justice:
Related Values and Key Ideas
• Equity / Equitable Outcomes
• Inclusion / Accessibility
• Equal Opportunity
• Dignity / Human Rights
• Fairness / Fair Treatment
• Shared Power and Resources
Racial Justice
Definition: Racial Justice is the creation and
proactive reinforcement of policies, practices,
attitudes and actions that produce equitable
power, access, opportunities, treatment,
impacts and outcomes for all.
Indicators: Equitable impacts and outcomes
across race is the evidence of racial justice.
Racial Justice:
Strategy for Change
• Focuses on changing systems, institutional
practices, policies and outcomes.
• Cannot just be reactive -- must propose equitable
solutions and engage in proactive strategies.
• Requires ongoing consciousness and strategic
action. We cannot be “colorblind” or silent.
Dominant Terms of Race Debate
• “Post-Racialism”
• “Transcending Race”
• “Color-blindness”
• “Playing the Race Card”
Contested Questions
• What is racism?
• Does racism exist?
• Who’s responsible?
• What do we do about it?
Different Levels of Racism
Internalized
Institutional
Interpersonal
MICRO LEVEL
MACRO LEVEL
Structural
Institutional Racism
Institutional racism occurs within
institutions. Institutional racism is
discriminatory treatment, unfair
policies and practices, and
inequitable opportunities and
impacts, based on race.
Example: A school system that
concentrates people of color in the
most overcrowded, under-funded
schools with the least qualified
teachers.
Structural Racism
Structural racism is racial bias
across institutions and society. It’s the
cumulative and compounded effects
of an array of factors that
systematically privilege white people
and disadvantage people of color.
Example: The “racial wealth divide”
(where whites have many times the
wealth of people of color) results
from generations of discrimination
and racial inequality.
Dimensions of Structural Racism
1. History: cumulative impacts of roots and
foundation of white domination in the U.S.
2. Culture: normalization and replication of
racism in our everyday lives.
3. Interconnected institutions and policies:
compounding relationships and rules that
legitimate and reinforce racism.
4. Racial ideology: dominant ideas and myths
that perpetuate racial hierarchies.
It’s All in the Eyes (I’s)
Individual bias
Intentional acts
Isolated incidents
Immediate and
obvious
In the past
Comprehensive View
of Racism
Racism is OFTEN…
Institutional inequity
Impacts of actions
Infused throughout society
Invisible and insidious
In the present
Changing the Focus
From: Personal Prejudice
To: Institutional Inequity
From: Attitudes and Intentions
To: Actions and Impacts
From: “Who’s a Racist?”
To: “What’s Causing Racism?”
Four Goals of Legislative Report
Card on Racial Equity
• Share a tool that helps us talk explicitly about race.
• Expose the racial dynamics and unintended consequences of
“colorblind” policies.
• Create a multiracial and multi-issue framework to advance
racially equitable policymaking.
• Legitimatize racial equity as a standard for measuring
government effectiveness.
Racially Equity Criteria
• Does the legislation explicitly address racial outcomes and
work to eliminate racial inequities?
• Will the legislation increase access to public benefits and
institutions for communities of color?
• Does the legislation advance enfranchisement and full civic
participation for all people?
• Will the legislation protect against racial violence, racial
profiling, and discrimination?
• Is the legislation enforceable? Are these mechanisms in place
to ensure accountability?
• Does the legislation preserve and strengthen American Indian
tribal sovereignty?
Editorial: “Pay attention to
state's racial equity”
“ Perhaps more important than the report's call for action on
specific legislation is its plea for greater attention to the
racial impact of everything state government does. That's a
message those who care about the state Minnesota is
becoming should heed.”
--Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial, Jan. 29, 2008
(commenting on MN Legislative Report Card on Racial
Equity released by Organizing Apprenticeship Project)
Racial Equity Impact Assessments
• A careful examination of the likely impacts of a
policy proposal in order to minimize disparities and
foster racial equity and inclusion.
• It can be a vital tool for facilitating race-conscious
analysis of proposed policies, practices or programs.
Racial Equity Impact Assessment
Key Questions
1. What ways will the proposal have a positive
impact on racial/ethnic equity and inclusion?
2. What may be some adverse impacts or unintended
consequences that could have a negative impact on
racial equity?
3. What changes could be made to make the proposal
more equitable and inclusive?
United Kingdom Model:
Race Equality Duty
Establishes a “general duty” for public authorities:
1. to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination;
2. to promote equality of opportunity between
persons of different racial groups, and;
3. to promote good relations between persons of
different racial groups.
United Kingdom Model:
Race Equality Duty
Establishes a “specific duty” for public authorities:
1. to prepare and publish a “race equality scheme”
or a “race equality policy” (for educational
institutions); and
2. to monitor and publicly report employment
patterns and address any differences or
disadvantages.
and, authorities conduct a Race Equality
Impact Assessment on proposed policies that
King County Model:
Equity and Social Justice Initiative
•
Policy development and decision-making
(including use of Equity Impact Review Tool)
•
Service delivery
•
Internal education and communication
•
Community partnerships
King County Model:
Equity and Social Justice Initiative
"It is unacceptable that the color of your skin or your
home address are good predictors of whether you
will have a low birth weight baby, die from diabetes
or your children will graduate from high school or
end up in jail.”
--King County Executive Ron Sims
City of Seattle Model: Racial and
Social Justice Initiative
• Change Teams in all City Departments
• Race and Social Justice Strategic Plans
developed by each Department
• Budget and Policy Filters used for Racial Equity
Analysis in policy and budget making.
City of Seattle Model: Racial and
Social Justice Initiative
• "Race and Social Justice" Neighborhood Matching
Fund Grant Program
• Contracting Development and Competitiveness
Center
• Seattle Police Department Racial Profiling
Accountability Plan
• "Don't Borrow Trouble" campaign combats
predatory lending practices
Minnesota Models
• Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission
uses equity impact assessments.
• Minneapolis Public Schools completed a Racial,
Cultural and Economic Equity Impact Assessment
for its School Choice Options (CSO) Education
Equity Organizing Collaborative (EEOC)
• St. Paul Racial Equity Impact Policy
(proposed) for developments that receive a public
subsidy of $100,000.
Criminal Justice
Racial Impact Statements
• Iowa, Minority Impact Statements required to
examine impacts of new sentencing laws prior
to passage.
• Connecticut: Racial and Ethnic Impact
Statements for proposed new sentencing laws
• Wisconsin, Illinois: Commission on Reducing
Racial Disparities in the Wis. Justice System
Racially Equitable Policies
Principles:
1. Target Institutional and Structural Inequities
2. Focus Explicitly on Racial Equity
3. Prioritize Impact Over Intention
4. Redefine Government Accountability
5. Foster Strategic Alliances
Racially Equitable Policy
Development
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Identify and engage stakeholders
Identify and document racial inequities
Examine the causes
Identify goals
Develop proposal to advance equity
Consider any adverse impacts
Examine alternatives, make improvements
Ensure viability, sustainability and success
Elements to Include in Policies
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Define racial inequality / racial equity
Develop mechanism to study racial disparities
Include an “Equity Mandate”
Require “Race Equity Strategic Plans”
Community engagement and capacity-building
Community Education and Communication
Require racially disaggregated data collection
and reporting
1. Define Racial Inequality
/ Racial Equity
• Example: The International Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
defines racial discrimination as “any distinction,
exclusion, restriction or preference based on race,
colour, descent, or national or ethnic origin which
has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing
the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an
equal footing, of human rights and fundamental
freedoms in the political, economic, social,
cultural or any other field of public life.”
2. Develop Mechanism to Study
Racial Disparity
• Create an authorized body to study problems of
racial disparities.
• Examples: Illinois established a commission to
address disproportionality in child welfare; and
California created a Disproportionality Task
Force.
3. Adopt an Equity Mandate
• Require public agencies to make it their duty to
eilimiate racial and other forms of discrimination
• Example: The United Kingdom establishes a
“general duty” that requires public authorities:
1. to eliminate racial discrimination;
2. to promote equality of opportunity, and;
3. to promote good relations across racial groups.
4. Develop Racial Equity Strategic
Plans
• Public agencies develop and publish cohesive
plans with objectives, strategies, action steps
and timetables. The Plan development involves
public participation, review and input.
• Examples “Race and Social Justice Strategic
Plans” (Seattle, WA); “Race Equality Schemes”
and “Race Equality Policies” (UK)
5. Foster Community Engagement
and Capacity Building
• Encourage public participation and support
community initiatives to advance equity.
• Example: Florida provides technical assistance
to community organizations that help identify
permanent families for children of color in
foster care. Seattle has a “Race and Social
Justice Neighborhood Matching Fund Grant
Program”
6. Engage in Community
Education and Communication
• Provides opportunities for ongoing learning and
communication within and across government
agencies and between government and the
public.
• Race conversations (King County, Washington)
7. Implement Comprehensive Data
Collection
• Data collection, analysis and reporting for all
identified social groups, with ongoing
monitoring, evaluation and information to
inform future strategies
• Race Equity Schemes and public employment
reporting (U.K.)
Strategic Framework for
Advancing Racial Equity
1. Focus on systemic inequality.
2. Focus on impacts rather than intentions.
3. Address racial inequity explicitly, not
exclusively
4. Propose solutions focused on equity and
inclusion.
5. Engage and empower stakeholders.
6. Prioritize racial justice in all social justice
efforts.
Applied Research Center
www.arc.org
ColorLines
www.colorlines.com
RaceWire
www.racewire.org