OFFICE OF DIVERSITY & EQUITY
The City of Sacramento’s Office of Diversity & Equity (ODE) was created in July 2018. ODE is committed to leading efforts to build a more representative, equitable, and inclusive City of Sacramento.
Our ODE Staff
ODE currently has one full-time manager, a Strategic Workforce Equity Analyst focused on workforce equity, and an Equity Analyst focused on the Sacramento Centered on Race Equity (SCORE) Initiative. The ODE is a member of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), an organization of over 500 local and state level jurisdictions that are working to eliminate racial inequities in government. Current priorities include building the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging capacity of City staff and infrastructure, achieving workforce equity through a racial equity lens, and engaging the City Council and Community in racial equity work.
MISSION
ODE’s mission is to move forward with urgency and purpose with the creation, implementation, and maintenance of a more equitable and inclusive City of Sacramento by facilitating the integration of greater representation, fairness, belonging, and care into our policies, protocols, practices, and workplaces.
The overall goal is to work closely with all City departments and offices to ensure that support for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is integrated into decision making, planning, and implementation throughout all structures, services, policies, practices, and procedures.
RACIAL EQUITY STATEMENT
The City of Sacramento affirms racial equity as a core value in which race does not affect life outcomes. We acknowledge historical racial inequities and are committed to transparent, deliberate, and actionable solutions that will remedy those inequities and serve all our diverse communities. (Adopted on Feb. 8, 2019, the City of Sacramento GARE cohort)
GUIDING FRAMEWORKS
There are two frameworks guiding this work:
The Global Diversity Equity Inclusion Benchmark Model. Learn more about the GDEIB Model.
The Government Alliance on Race and Equity’s (GARE) Racial Equity Analysis embeds results-based measures in decision making within local governments for racial equitable outcomes. This strategic direction helped guide the five-year Race & Gender Equity Action Plan (2020-2025).
Learn more about the Government Alliance on Race and Equity.
OUR WORK
ODE is focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) work both internally and externally.
Workforce Equity and Race & Gender Equity Action Plan
With the support of ODE, the City’s Race & Gender Equity Action Plan (2020-2025) guides department Equity Teams in identifying priority areas specific to their departments’ needs and challenges. In addition, ODE supports DEIB staff capacity building through ongoing training. Learn more here.
Sacramento Centered on Race Equity (SCORE) Initiative and Community Guided Work
ODE supports the emerging work of the Sacramento Centered on Race Equity (SCORE) Initiative, which is an effort lead in partnership with the community Racial Equity Alliance and Committee and the Council’s Racial Equity Committee. Learn more here. (link to Community Guided Work subpage)
Learn more about the ongoing work of the Council's Racial Equity Committee including upcoming meetings by signing up for email alerts here.
Additional Work
ODE also provides guidance for employees on racial impact assessments, racial and gender equity analyses, strategic planning, and more. For inquiries or suggestions please email equity@cityofsacramento.org
GUIDING DEFINITIONS
Several key definitions help guide this work:
Diversity
Each person has layers of diversity that make his/her/their perspective unique. The City of Sacramento defines diversity as the variety of human differences and similarities among people, such as: age, belief system, class/caste, culture, disability, education, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, generation, geography, job role and function, language, marital status, mental health, nationality, native or indigenous origins, parental status, personality type, race, religion, sexual orientation, thinking style, work experience, and work style. (Adopted from the Global Diversity Equity Inclusion Benchmark model)
Inclusion
This is an active state of being valued, respected, and supported. Inclusion focuses on the needs of every individual and ensures the right conditions are in place for each person to achieve their full potential. Inclusion should be reflected in an organization’s culture, practices, and relationships, which are in place to support a diverse workforce. The City of Sacramento’s definition of inclusion draws from the Global Diversity & Inclusion Benchmark model, which defines the word as a dynamic state of operating in which diversity is leveraged to create a fair, healthy, and high-performing organization and/or community.
An inclusive environment ensures equitable access to resources and opportunities for all. It also enables individuals and groups to feel safe, respected, engaged, motivated, and valued for who they are and for their contributions toward organizational and societal goals. (Adopted from the Global Diversity Equity Inclusion Benchmark model)
Equity
The City of Sacramento’s definition of racial equity is adapted from the Government Alliance on Race and Equity’s definition. Regardless of one’s identity, equity is when all people have just treatment, access to opportunities necessary to satisfy their essential needs, advance their well-being, and achieve their full potential while identifying and eliminating barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. (Adapted from the Government Alliance on Race & Equity definition of racial equality)