• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Membership
  • Login
  • Newsletter

Government Alliance on Race and Equity

The Government Alliance on Race and Equity is a national network working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all.

Main navigation

  • About
    • About
    • Who We Are
      • Leadership & Staff
      • Advisory Group
      • Steering Committee
    • Our Approach
      • Why Lead With Race?
      • Why Working for Racial Equity Benefits Everyone
      • Why Government?
    • Our Partners
      • Membership Network
      • Regional Hubs
      • Organizations
    • Employment
  • Where We Work
  • Tools & Resources
    • Racial Equity Tools
    • Communication Tools
  • Events & Trainings
    • GARE Member Events
    • Events in the Field
    • GARE Informational Session
  • FAQ
    • FAQ
    • Membership
    • Racial Equity Strategy
    • Subject Area Working Groups
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Search
Home>Saint Paul, Minnesota

MidwestCore Member

Saint Paul, Minnesota

The City of Saint Paul joined GARE in 2015, under the leadership of Mayor Chris Coleman. Focusing on its internal operations, the Saint Paul began developing a city-wide equity framework. Mayor Coleman directed every department to develop an annual Equity Work Plan to tackle racial disparities. Each City department began forming an Equity Change Team to lead this work. This network of Department Change Teams became the City-Wide Equity Change Team. The Director of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity (HREEO) convened the city-wide team on a quarterly basis to share best practices and discuss their progress towards meeting goals. Mayor Coleman also set a goal for all 3,000 employees to participate in the foundational racial equity training by the end of his term, December 31, 2017. The goal was met.

In 2017, Saint Paul became a “majority minority” City as its percentage of residents of color reached over 50%. The City also elected its first African-American Mayor, Melvin Carter. As Mayor Carter set out to Build a City that Works for All, he established three pillars of his administration 1) Equity, 2) Resiliency and 3) Innovation. In January 2018, Mayor Carter appointed Toni Newborn as the Chief Equity Officer to lead the City’s racial equity work. In her role as the Chief Equity Officer, Newborn leads the Equity Steering Committee, Equity Design Team and Department Equity Change Teams to provide support and guidance in integrating equity into the City’s services, engagement, policies and practices. Chief Newborn works in partnership with Departments to develop educational opportunities for City staff and residents to advance city-wide equity initiatives.

Saint Paul’s City-wide Equity Change Team continues to meet quarterly. Departments continue to develop annual Equity Work Plans, outlining the actions they will take to meet the City’s four strategic objectives 1) Equity in the Workforce, 2) Equity in Supplier Diversity, 3) Equity in the Design of Goods & Services and 4) Equity in Community Engagement. City staff are also currently creating their own version of GARE’s Racial Equity Toolkit to assist departments in examining their policies, practices, procedures and budget decisions for racial disparities.

It is the mission of the City of Saint Paul to integrate equity and inclusion into how they approach all their work. They are committed to building an equitable and inclusive city that will shift culture in city processes and policies, eliminate structural inequities, and ensure timely and relevant access to services, resources, support, and opportunity to every person in Saint Paul.


Download Datasheet


News from Saint Paul, Minnesota


November 20, 2018

Saint Paul, MN, City Libraries and Mayor Melvin Carter Propose Eliminating Late Fines!

Saint Paul Public Library (SPPL) staff members have been concerned about inequities related to overdue fines for years. The Library has taken many steps to decrease the impact of fines on library users, including: Eliminating fines on children’s and young-adult materials Offering “read downs” (spending time reading in exchange for a reduction or write-off ofREAD MORE > Read More


April 3, 2018

The People Behind the Movement: Jessica Kingston

Q: Let’s start by talking about your current position.  Can you describe your current role? I am the Director of the Department of Human Rights and Equal Economic Opportunity (HREEO) for Saint Paul, Minnesota.  It’s a multifaceted department with a lot of moving parts.  HREEO includes several divisions that perform a diverse array of functionsREAD MORE > Read More


October 11, 2017

Libraries Take Action to Advance Racial Equity (Part 2 of 3)

Saint Paul, Minnesota ABOUT THIS SERIES: The GARE Libraries Interest works to develop the capacity of libraries to make racial equity a priority within libraries, cities, communities and national associations. An Issue Brief on racial equity in libraries is forthcoming Spring 2018. For information contact, Gordon Goodwin, ggoodwin@thecsi.org. The Saint Paul Public Library (SPPL) launchedREAD MORE > Read More


October 11, 2017

Libraries Take Action to Advance Racial Equity (Part 1 of 3)

By: GARE Libraries Interest Group ABOUT THIS SERIES: The GARE Libraries Interest works to develop the capacity of libraries to make racial equity a priority within libraries, cities, communities and national associations. An Issue Brief on racial equity in libraries is forthcoming Spring 2018. For information contact, Gordon Goodwin, ggoodwin@thecsi.org. More than 50 cities andREAD MORE > Read More


January 3, 2017

[WEBINAR] Advancing Workforce Equity

In 2016, GARE partnered with the Bay Area Health Inequities Initiatives (BAHII) on a series of webinars on racial equity and government. In this webinar, GARE and BAHII discuss workforce equity: Listen to the recording here. Download the PowerPoint here. Read GARE’s report on workforce equity. The goals for the webinar were to: Gain anREAD MORE > Read More


January 6, 2016

Workforce Equity!

This webinar has passed. View recording → Engaging Local Government Leaders and the Government Alliance on Race and Equity join together to offer a webinar on Workforce Equity on January 6, 2016 at 11:00 AM PST. This webinar will focus on policies, practices and real stories from jurisdictions focused on workforce equity. Participants include: AngieREAD MORE > Read More


October 3, 2015

Advancing Racial Equity: Focusing on Structural Drivers of Inequity within Boys and Men of Color Projects

The webinar on "Advancing Racial Equity: Focusing on Structural Drivers of Inequity within Boys and Men of Color Projects" on October 2, 2015 highlighted the reality that our institutions and structures have been designed to produce our current racially inequitable outcomes, and the reality that for us to advance racial equity, we clearly have to work on institutional and structural changes. Read More


August 18, 2015

The Twin Cities Boards and Commissions Leadership Institute: Using Board and Commission Appointments to Advance Racial Equity

A unique partnership between the City of Minneapolis and Nexus Community Partners works to improve racial equity in board and commission membership, which in turn influences major policy decisions toward more equitable outcomes. Read More


August 11, 2015

Apology Offered for Destruction of Historic African American Neighborhood

On July 17, Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman joined members of the African American community in a ceremony to remember, reconcile and restore feelings of loss and anger over the destruction 50 years ago of the historic Rondo neighborhood to make way for the interstate highway. Read More


April 14, 2015

Race, Community and Policing Webinar

The Government Alliance on Race and Equity and the Center for Social Inclusion held a webinar, "Race, Community and Policing" on April 6, 2015. Read More


Primary Sidebar

Download Datasheet


Participating Jurisdictions: Saint Paul, MinnesotaBegan Racial Equity Work: 2011 – 2015 Population: Medium (100,001–500,000) Region: Midwest Number of Employees: 1001 – 4000Form of Government: City


Demographics

White:171,365
African American: 44,728
Asian: 42,695
Hispanic: 27,311
American Indian & Alaska Native: 3,016
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander: 154
Multi-Racial: 11,902
Total Population: 285,068


Footer

Contact Us

Government Alliance on Race & Equity
For information about membership, contact gare@raceforward.org.

For media inquiries, contact media@raceforward.org.

Join Our Mailing List


By subscribing to this mailing list, you are opting in to receive bi-monthly newsletters from the Government Alliance on Race & Equity. You may have the ability to opt-out at any time. 

GARE is a joint project of the new Race Forward and the Haas Institute for a Fair & Inclusive Society.© 2023 Government Alliance on Race and Equity

  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact Us
MENU
  • About
    • About
    • Who We Are
      • Leadership & Staff
      • Advisory Group
      • Steering Committee
    • Our Approach
      • Why Lead With Race?
      • Why Working for Racial Equity Benefits Everyone
      • Why Government?
    • Our Partners
      • Membership Network
      • Regional Hubs
      • Organizations
    • Employment
  • Where We Work
  • Tools & Resources
    • Racial Equity Tools
    • Communication Tools
  • Events & Trainings
    • GARE Member Events
    • Events in the Field
    • GARE Informational Session
  • FAQ
    • FAQ
    • Membership
    • Racial Equity Strategy
    • Subject Area Working Groups
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Search