1. Public advocates’ diversity initiative
WALKING THE WALK
Public advocates’ diversity initiative
Legal Administrative Coordinator
Princess Masilungan
Policy & Legal Advocate
Rigel S. Massaro

2. Who we are MISSION STATEMENT: THEORY OF CHANGE:
Public Advocates Inc. is a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy and achieving tangible legal victories advancing education, housing and transit equity. We spur change through collaboration with grassroots groups representing low-income communities, people of color and immigrants, combined with strategic policy reform, media advocacy and litigation, “making rights real” across California since 1971.
Bolding added for emphasis
THEORY OF CHANGE:
(4) Prongs: Impact litigation, community partnership, policy work, and strategic communications
SIZE: 16, including law fellows; 19, including interns and law clerks; 10 board members
STRUCTURE: CEO, 2 Program Teams (Education, Housing/Transit/Climate Justice), Communications & Development Team, and Finance and Administration Team
Walking the walk b/c of our mission staetment
Diversity is a priority!
Who we are

3. Our diversity committee
Comprised of:
2 staff attorneys, 2 support staff, 1 managing attorney, the CEO/President, and our consultant
4 women, 2 men // Representation from all levels (most junior, one of the most senior, CEO) // 5 people of color
Meeting schedule:
Meetings w/o our consultant (since 5/13)
Monthly meetings w/ our consultant (since 10/13)
Updates to staff at (almost) every staff-wide meeting
Representation from all levels of org
Meetings with consultant since october
Updates to staff
Our diversity committee

4. Our (second) survey May 2013
What GOALS do you want PA to achieve through this work? What personal goals do you have?
to increase effectiveness of our work
to foster a welcoming PA
to develop a greater awareness of ourselves and one another
What CONCERNS do you have about undertaking this work?
that we lack the courage to participate fully
that we don’t value this work appropriately
that we all come to this w/ varying levels of personal knowledge, experience
What CONDITIONS OR SUPPORTS do you believe need to be in place in order for this work to be successful?
External facilitation
Adequate resourcing/support
A well-defined process: a timeline w/ benchmarks and outcomes
Participation agreements
Training
PA 2013 IN-HOUSE SURVEY (A WAKE-UP CALL): “That being only a ¼ Mexican with NO sense of culture passed on from my family that I have nothing to offer the conversation! That I might uncover some hidden/suppressed biases that could make me feel shameful or make my colleagues think less of me.”
Our (second) survey
May 2013

5. funding Adequate resourcing/support Our process:
Set aside $$ for the work
Found a consultant and developed work plan
Then-CEO reached out to Ford IIE (International Institute for Education) which focuses on capacity building
Submitted short 2 page proposal w/ work plan attached
Received funding that covered half of our work plan
Key points to bring up:
your organization/ firm has made this a priority, and it will proceed w/ its diversity efforts irrespective of whether or not you receive funding
This is both an internal and external process
This will increase the effectiveness of your program work
funding
Adequate resourcing/support

6. Work plan with consultant broken into 4 phases:
1) Building Rapport in Committee & w/ Full Staff (Consultant hrs.) – Fall 2013
2) Adopt Multicultural Vision, Goals, Strategies & Activities (Consultant hrs.) – Winter 2014
3) Create Multicultural Staff Development Plan (Consultant hrs.) – Spring 2014
4) Multicultural Staff Development (Consultant hrs.) – Spring & Ongoing
PRINCESS STARTS
Our work plan & foci
A well-defined process: a timeline with benchmarks and outcomes

7. CONOCIMIENTO & Communication
Conocimiento = “Getting to know each other”
Test run w/ Diversity Committee  rolled out to full staff at a brown bag lunch
AMAZING reception – high impact & shattering assumptions
Building trust for the more difficult conversations down the line
Communication Agreements (w/ check-ins)
Be fully present & choose for yourself when and how to participate…
Try on new ideas and perspectives…
Ok to disagree, not OK to shame, blame, attack or discount yourself or others…
Speak from the “I”…
Step up/ step back…
Be aware of intent and impact…
Observe confidentiality… 1
CONOCIMIENTO & Communication
Participation agreements

8. Our Multicultural Organizational Development Plan
Public Advocates’ Diversity Vision Statement:
At Public Advocates, we respect each person in the organization as unique and empower each other to contribute and lead. Our workplace honors our multiple cultures and identities by creating safe spaces for courageous conversation about power, privilege, and identity both in the office and in the community. Our honest and meaningful relationships with our community allies shape and inspire our work, and we are welcomed as a trusted partner who shares our allies’ community empowerment goals.
Questions to consider when creating a vision statement:
What does the ideal [name of your organization] look like, in terms of cultural competence, diversity, and inclusion?
What values and belief underlie that vision?
How does it align with your broader organizational mission/vision statement?
2 Crafting our vision
Our Multicultural Organizational Development Plan

9. Create and sustain a workplace where all staff regardless of their job position and cultural and social identities are able to contribute their full abilities and experience, able to achieve their full potential.
• Introduce cultural humility & practices – not operating on assumptions about a person’s cultural background
Create a work culture of authentic communication… Positional leaders model this in their awareness and their actions.
• Introduce the communication agreements, framework and skills of authentic communication to committee members, directors and all staff
Increase the diversity of cultural and social identity of staff… create stronger recruitment, hiring, on-boarding and staff professional development practices.
• Review hiring practices and learn from most recent hires
• Set goals for diversity and align outreach/ recruitment efforts to goals
Review how PA collects and uses feedback, evaluation from clients and community partners.
• Conduct pre- and post-surveys of community partners to better understand what process, communication, etc. works
Strengthen PA’s language capacity.
• Assess our existing language capacity and services
• Consult w/community partners to understand language challenges of working w/PA
To realize the vision statement
2 GOALS & STRATEGIES

10. ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO FAR
Increased trust and understanding of one another through the conocimiento activity
Incorporation of a question introducing our diversity efforts and focusing on how candidates’ background and experience prepare them for working w/ diverse populations and realizing our mission of eradicating the effects of poverty and discrimination
Increased confidence and comfort in starting difficult conversations around identity and diversity (in the hiring process and in our communications work)
Developed diversity Q ONLY WEEKS AFTER identified as issue.
Finding VOICE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO FAR

11. Solidifying our values statement, goals, strategies, and activities
Surveying staff to understand who we are, where we’re lacking in diversity (serves diversity- and non- diversity- related purposes)
Staff-facilitated activities on cultural competence
Creation of staff development plan
All-staff diversity and inclusion retreat
STRUCTURE
FAMILY
Finish work plan with consultant.
Next steps

12. for listening to us & for being interested and engaged in this very important work
For more information or if you have any questions, please contact:
Rigel S. Massaro
Princess Masilungan
Policy & Legal Advocate
Legal Administrative Coordinator