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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.

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Home>Tacoma, Washington

NorthwestCore Member

Tacoma, Washington

In summer 2013, race relations was becoming a priority issue among some of Tacoma’s community members, elected officials and city managers. Concerns initially centered on the mismatch between the demographics of the government workforce and the actual makeup of the city itself. In this context, several city managers and council members attended a “RACE: Are We So Different?” exhibit at the end of 2013 and decided to make racial equity and empowerment a priority in city government.

In support of this new direction, a June 2014 National Community Survey of Tacoma residents showed that 71% believe it is essential or very important to increase equitable access to city services and infrastructure. Building on this momentum, the city proposed an Equity and Empowerment Initiative that was adopted by the city council in October 2014.

In this resolution, the City of Tacoma defined equity as “when everyone has access to the opportunities necessary to satisfy their essential needs, advance their well-being and achieve their full potential.” This shared equity framework articulates a vision for an inclusive and equitable Tacoma, as well as a specific mission “to achieve equity in our service delivery, decision-making and community engagement… by identifying and eliminating the underlying drivers within our community that perpetuate racial inequity and provide opportunity for all.”

Tacoma’s equity framework further identifies five specific goals:

  • For the city’s workforce to better reflect the community it serves.
  • For more purposeful community outreach and engagement.
  • For equitable service delivery to all residents and visitors.
  • To support human rights and opportunities for everyone to achieve their full potential.
  • To commit to equity in local government decision-making.

Tacoma established an Office for Equity and Human Rights (OEHR) in January 2015 with 10 dedicated full-time staff to advance these goals. As one step forward, the initiative invested in the capacity of the city’s leadership by providing racial equity workshops. In this effort, both top management and staff from the city’s Human Resources department (a total of 120 people) attended “Undoing Institutional Racism” workshops led by The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, which is based in New Orleans.

OEHR has taken steps on several fronts to further advance the city’s equity goals. To continue building capacity through internal infrastructure, the city established an internal ‘think tank’ comprised of both department directors and line staff to support innovation in equitable service delivery. To promote inclusive collaboration and engagement, the city launched a listening session series known as “Project Peace” to build understanding and trust between the community and the police department, as well as to structurally inform police planning for the coming year. Lastly, the city developed a handbook to promote equitable recruiting and hiring practices as a practical equity tool for staff to use.

News from Tacoma, Washington


November 14, 2019

The People Behind the Movement: Alison Beason

Spatial Data and Decision-Making with Alison Beason, Senior Policy Analyst for the City of Tacoma  What makes a city inclusive and livable? How can cities use their own locally-collected data to determine the areas and neighborhoods that have the biggest disparities? In this post, we speak with Alison Beason, Senior Policy Analyst for the CityREAD MORE > Read More


March 1, 2017

Senior Policy Analyst for, the City of Tacoma, Office of Equity and Human Rights, Manisha Paudel asks, Is it okay to not know?

A recent event to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr started with the U.S. national anthem, sung by an amazing young African American gentleman. It was followed by a beautiful song I had not heard before, but I continued to stand up with over 1500 other people. Next day at work, IREAD MORE > Read More


December 30, 2015

Project PEACE: City of Tacoma, WA Police Department Partnering for Equity and Community Engagement

One example where deep public engagement is being effectively used to inform institutional and structural changes is in the City of Tacoma’s recently launched police and community listening sessions, known as Project PEACE (Partnering for Equity and Community Engagement). Read More


August 20, 2014

Materials from the Convening on Racial Equity (Twin Cities, MN – August 2014)

Materials from the Convening on Racial Equity in August 2014. Read More


Primary Sidebar

Participating Jurisdictions: Tacoma, WashingtonBegan Racial Equity Work: 2011 – 2015 Population: Medium (100,001–500,000) Region: Northwest Number of Employees: 1001 – 4000Form of Government: City


Demographics

White:128,670
African American: 22,210
Asian: 16,274
Hispanic: 22,390
American Indian & Alaska Native: 3,648
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander: 2,455
Multi-Racial: 15,976
Total Population: 198,397


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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

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