1. RACIAL EQUITY ASSESSMENT
Washtenaw County
Presented by Anna Lemler

2. Opportunity for Washtenaw County to implement national best practice
Normalize
A shared analysis and definitions
Urgency / prioritize
Organize
Internal infrastructure
Partnerships
Operationalize
Racial equity tools
Data to develop strategies and drive results
Visualize

3. Survey Methodology
Washtenaw County staff members were invited to participate in this voluntary survey.
The Washtenaw County Sheriff Office elected not to participate in the survey
Individual responses to the survey data were anonymous, and the identities of participants are protected.
The survey was administered via an online survey.
Raw data reviewed and analyzed by designated GARE staff.
Survey will be administered every two years.
Voluntary
WCSO
Anonymous; identities protected
Administered online
Raw data reviewed & analyzed by GARE

4. Departmental Representation
Around a 45% response rate
Total respondents: 433

5. EQUITY OVERVIEW

6. Why GARE leads with race
Racial inequities deep and pervasive
Racial anxiety on the rise – race is often an elephant in the room
Learning an institutional and structural approach can be used with other areas of marginalization
Specificity matters
Deep & Urgent
Present
Can better other groups too
Must ID specificity
Race focused, but not exclusive
always bring an “intersectional” analysis

7. Diversity & Inclusion Race focused, but not exclusive
Inclusion = access to decision-making, information, & opportunities
Diversity = representation
Equity is about outcomes
We ask a different set of questions
We take a holistic approach to strategy
We look at root causes
Inclusion – access
Diversity – representation
Equity - outcomes
To achieve outcomes, we need to have a better sense of what is going on for
Race focused, but not exclusive
always bring an “intersectional” analysis

8. Valuable to talk about Race:

9. Talking About Race
Racial inequalities and advancing racial equity is never talked about in the departments - which I think can be looked at as a challenge. If it's never addressed or talked about then it cannot be fixed.
The conversations I've had on (racial equity) with other county staff always leave me feeling like we're never talking about quite the same thing, and I worry that without such a definition, we'll never be able really get to the meat of the subject nor get the wide buy-in necessary for such systemic work.
Being white, I seldom even thought about how that gave me privilege in this country and I certainly never thought about what it was like to be "non-white" until there were people in my life who were willing to share their experiences with me.
Never talked about
White Privilege acknowledgement
Lack of definition (normalizing)

10. EMPLOYEE COMPETENCIES AND PERSPECTIVES

11. Employees Need To: Take Action Develop skills, comfort and competence
Must have knowledge, to develop skills, to then take action
Have knowledge

12. Individual Employees
Majority feel generally confident in their competence in interacting with people of other races.
Majority have basic understanding of RE.
Fewer can identify examples of institutional racism
Very few feel they have the tools

13. I can identify examples of institutional racism
People of color, especially Black staff, are able to ID institutional racism versus their white counterparts

14. Within their department:
General high comfort vs. lower involvement to advancing

15. “I would become more active in advancing racial equity if...”
47% I had more information so I knew what to do. 38% I received training. 35% I had more time. 26% I had the support of my supervisor or manager. 35% I am satisfied with my current level of engagement.
To do the work, staff want more information, training, time and support of manager.
Important to note that 35% of staff are currently satisfied with their current level of engagement.

16. DEPARTMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

17. Within departments General commitment, though diversity
Lower rates for taking action
Want more resources & training

18. What does change look like?
I think our county services, at least as it relates to family court, are highly segregated. This survey has made me think maybe some of those services should be moved EAST of US 23. We have District Courts out there, but not Circuit.
We use a diversity training that is twenty or more years old in new employee orientations. This simply does not reflect the world of today… It did not provide us with any tangible tools to make our workplace more inclusive and respectful. It put the onus on individuals to be "agents of change" instead of supervisors and policies to structure our workplace as an agent of change as a whole.
Integrate our services; physically move them to communities most impacted
Education that is up-to-date & relevant

19. Leadership within departments
Leadership: diversity in experience about leadership participating and communication re: RE

20. Departmental infrastructure
GARE team structure
Racial Equity Tool & Plan

21. Workforce within departments
Generally people don’t feel as though their dept reflect the County.
Little concrete action being taken to improve workforce.

22. Departmental Leadership
I think some managers are less supportive than others of working on this, and this manifests in giving staff time to attend trainings or engage in work. Many of our staff who are people of color are not in managerial positions and it would be good to have them be able to have strong input into work.
We've been working for a long time to support equity and address equity. So it's not a new focus, but it is more intense in recent years. It's incredibility difficult to move to action or feel that understanding and recognizing has a real impact in the community (especially in the current political climate).
Desire for more endorsement from management.
Concern about how to take action

23. Departmental services in communities
Action-oriented

24. PROGRESS TOWARDS RACIAL EQUITY

25. Making progress towards racial equity

26. Importance of understanding differences in perspectives
I can't believe time is being wasted on this craziness. My department has as many blacks as whites and because we're union we are paid equally. All of this "equity" training is going to have the wrong impact.
Purpose of this analysis is to develop a deeper understanding of the organizational environment.
Demographics, position, and life experiences matter.
Data analyzed by race, gender, and supervisory status.
I work with an African American woman who is in the union and was looked over for two promotions even though she had higher seniority. She has always been professional, confident and did her job assignments very well. It does cause one to wonder why she didn't get promoted…
Deeper understanding of Org
Positionality matters
Data analysis
Disparity of SPECTRUM

27. Importance of understanding differences in perspectives
Our experience with many other organizational surveys has demonstrated that the more we can have open conversations about differences in experience, the better able we will be to develop appropriate strategies to advance racial equity.
This survey is the first time I have even heard of Washtenaw County doing something to advance racial equity. My department has a decent amount of employees with varying races, but other than that I have no idea if my department is doing anything to combat racial inequality.
Doing so intentionally decreases racial anxiety.
-Need for open conversations
- IS ACTION

28. I am actively involved in advancing racial equity in my work (by supervisory status)
86 supervisors
244 non-supervisors
Skipped =18

29. Departmental Variation
CMH Management should reflect the community it serves! It helps with widening the ideals and prospective of the decisions made the County serves.
Successes: Currently exploring a "shared leadership" model of engagement working with communities of color to develop actions to promote equity;
Challenges: Not having the consistent dialogue among staff about racism and how it affects our work; not having honest and ongoing reflection about how we may be unintentionally perpetuating inequities in daily practice
I have seen programs OCED has initiated to promote and enforce overcoming racial inequities amongst residents in Washtenaw County and within OCED (if any)
Places for change; Dialogue is necessary; Some ppl doing work

30. Contact information
Anna Lemler