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Resource Report - 37 State Office of Equity · Resource Report

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Hello and welcome to Resource Report, where we
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share with you important information about local
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nonprofits and resource organizations that support
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the community we share, produced by Pathways
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to Agency. I am your host, Rainmaker. Today's
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guest is TraeAnna Holiday, Communications Director
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of the Washington State Office of Equity. I am
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here with TraeAnna Holiday from the State Office
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of Equity. How are you doing today, TraeAnna?
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I'm doing well. It's been a busy day and I'm
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looking forward to spending some time with you.
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Oh, thank you. I'm looking forward to this interview
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as well. Can you please reintroduce yourself,
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your position, and how did you come to be here
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at the State Office of Equity? Yes. So my name
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is TraeAnna Holiday. I use she, her pronouns.
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I am the director of communications for Washington
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State's Office of Equity. And I got the opportunity
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to be brought into this work from a lot of the
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media work I was doing in community. Before this
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role, I had got introduced to the former director
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of the Office of Equity, and as she was building
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out her team, she offered me a role here to
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come and join the office. And I'm so grateful
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for the opportunity. We use a approach that allows
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us to be centered in empathetic, equitable approaches
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to care for people. Number one, to understand
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a notion of Umbuntu, which talks about I am because
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we are. So there's this constant connection that
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we have to have at the office about how we're
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serving Washingtonians and how we're assisting
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agencies to serve Washingtonians better in a
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more equitable way. OK, it sounds like we're
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in the same line of work! Nice. Because I'm all
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about that, too! And so this might be a how question
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rather than a what question, but about what y
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'all do. And there are some things listed on
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your website like accountability, access and
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accessibility, communications, your community
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advisory board, immigration sub -cabinets, consulting
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and tribal relations. Those are some of the things.
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Is that correct? Yeah. So can you break those
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down for us? Yeah, absolutely. So if I pull up
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our website and I go through the list, I can
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easily share how all of those bodies of work
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contribute to our overall approach in the office.
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When we look at the things that we do, accountability
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is how we ensure that agencies begin to understand
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how. they are servicing Washingtonians. So we
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work to bring agencies into an impact framework
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that is really foundationally built by our social
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determinants of equity. We have 15 of them, which
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are also called our impact areas. And what our
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data team and our analyst team is doing is building
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out accountability metrics that allow for agencies
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to identify how they're equitably serving Washingtonians.
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And so we work to have a transparent nature when
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it comes to the accountability process so that
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Washingtonians are informed about how agencies
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are moving and agencies are informed so that
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they can better serve Washingtonians over time.
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That's really what the goal is around our accountability.
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We're building out. dashboards which you will
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see coming out this year and even more next year
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that help to showcase how the social determinants
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of equity are being managed at the state level
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through all of the agencies that we work with.
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For Access and Accessibility, we are building
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out a Universal Access and Belonging plan that
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will then be enacted through state government
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to ensure that agencies have a approach to their
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work that embeds a a foundation around access
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and accessibility. This is language access, disability
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access... we also have our digital accessibility.
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So that part is on my team, where we make sure
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all of the communications we produce and we publish
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are accessible to Washingtonians, right, that we
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are using accessible strategies and techniques
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that are available to us now and trying to stay
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engaged on those techniques as they mature over
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time. So that's a lot of the work around access
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and accessibility. We want Washingtonians to get
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the information in the language they need so
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that there's no barriers to access for any Washingtonian
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to be informed and engaged in the ways that state
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government is working to serve them. For communications,
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which I have the pleasure of leading, we really
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work to ensure our communications are not only
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accessible but that they are reflective of the
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work that we are doing as an equity staff,
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in total, and amplify some of the other work that's
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happening across other agencies in state government.
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We work to make sure resources are easily available
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and that people can know about what we're doing
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by having constant opportunities to learn about
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our work through our newsletters, our website,
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our social media accounts... We really are being
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strategic about how we produce and publish different
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forms of communication to keep, not only state
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agencies and state employees informed, but Washingtonians
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as a whole. With our community advisory board, you know,
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we are so excited to have community members from
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across the state to help really anchor our work
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in ways that are serving the communities they're
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a part of. You know, their input, their lived
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experience is really getting embedded in the
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ways that we work to serve. So having their expertise
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and their advice and their lived experience be
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a guide for what we do and how we serve has been
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integral in so many ways and it's only growing.
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So it's very exciting to have our community
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advisory board, which again, has folks all over
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the state. So we are really making sure that different
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kinds of needs that are necessary in certain
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regions of our state are being met through the
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understanding that we're gaining from our community
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advisory board members which is managed by two
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community advisory board program managers that
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are equity staff and so they stay in constant
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communication with them and those advisory board
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members are helping us with various aspects of
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our work different projects or you know recruitment
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or other opportunities around community engagement
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they are supporting the work by also sharing
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their lived experience in ways that are super
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valuable to us but also allow us to have an approach
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that reflects the lived experience of Washingtonians
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as a whole, you know, what the communities that
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they represent. Our Immigration Subcabinet work,
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we have the pleasure of leading the immigration
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subcabinet through Governor Ferguson's Executive
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Order 2509. That opened up a new body of work
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for us that really is focused on how we're serving
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and protecting our immigrant refugee, LGBTQ plus,
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and people with disabilities communities. So
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the work of the immigration sub cabinet allows
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for us to create different standards across state
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government to ensure that we are utilizing a
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unified approach to serving and protecting those
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in our state who are dealing with immigration
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enforcement related issues and other issues that
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come up for specific communities because we also
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know that at this time, a lot of people are being
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impacted in ways that are truly devastating to
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families. And so we are working diligently to
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build solutions alongside community and share
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how we are utilizing that understanding internally,
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throughout not just the Office of Equity, but
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agencies across the state government and the enterprise.
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Then you have the Consulting? Tribal Relations? Yeah, so our consulting work is where
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we have consultants on our team that are really
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working with agencies in various areas. We recognize
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that we had to concentrate our focus on. just
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a few of those social determinants of equity
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or those impact areas to help agencies ensure
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that there is a streamlined approach around how
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they're servicing community members. So we're
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focusing on making sure government is accessible
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to all, that people are safe, so safety for all,
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and also one other area. But our consultants
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are working directly with, and I think... Workforce
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For All or something like that, but I forget the
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name, but our consultants are working with multiple
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agencies. I think right now our consultants have
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maybe between 15 and 20 agencies on their book
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of business where they are helping agencies through
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some of the ways to build equitable practices
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around those impact areas. And then lastly, we
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have our Tribal Relations team who.. we understand
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the sovereign nature of our tribal communities
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across the state. Our tribal relations team has
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built a manual in terms of how to properly engage
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with tribal communities. Our team is from the
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tribal community and brings their lived experience
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to this work to ensure that there is a proper
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approach to incorporating tribal sovereignty
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and tribal understanding and engagement in our
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work. And then you also have the...the How would be
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the strategy and the plan. There was something
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about Our Strategy listed here. Can you talk
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about that? Yeah, so when we think about the
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work that we do, we really want to make sure
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that we're first of all, like it says there,
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centering humanity in everything we do. We have...
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government is difficult for a lot of folks to
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understand. So when we think about small cabinet
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and cabinet agencies, there's a delineation that
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oftentimes doesn't mean much to Washingtonians,
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but we are helping them have a real engaged approach
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that allows relational partnership to be a guide,
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especially when we talk about how to engage community
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members. We move in a relational way, and so we
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share those relational approach techniques with
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other agencies. We're also, through the Impact
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team and the work they're doing, they're creating
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that baseline to understand where agencies are
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and then helping to guide them through a targeted
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universalism approach to ensure that they all
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understand how to embed equity as a foundation
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to their work to serve everyone. You know, we
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had to be realistic that government, although
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it's here to serve everyone, there's a lot of
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folks who feel like they're not being served.
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So we have to be intentional about how we close
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that gap and make service real for every Washingtonian
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and so that's why these impact assessments that
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the team does, the Consultant team, that is helping
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them understand where an agency is currently
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and how to guide them through so that those equitable
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approaches are more than just a part of what they
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do and how they do their work, not something
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outside of that. So that's a major part of our
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strategy. Can you give an example of, like an
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anecdotal example that would show what that might
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look like? Yeah, so right now, there's some work
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happening around some executive orders. We talked
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about executive order 2509, but there's another
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executive order that is making sure Washington
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State jobs are accessible to everyone through,
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I believe, executive order 2404. And so we are
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working with HR and other agencies that, because
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there's a centralized HR, but we're also working
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with other agencies to have a standardized approach
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to ensure that we are looking at skill -based
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approaches to resumes and recruitment efforts,
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and it not being based on, you know, the degrees,
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maybe, that they have, but can they do the job?
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Do they have the skills to do the job? So removing
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barriers to access to jobs is one of the approaches
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that we're taking as an example. That sounds
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really great, especially, so I myself, and then
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actually another friend are- we're homeschoolers,
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right? And so our children, who are approaching
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that age, like, one is 16, mine is 20, moving through
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DDA services. What is that? The Developmental
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Disability Association where not just are we
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accessing support services, and we want to have
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them obtain a viable income with work, but we're
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also homeschooling them. So we don't fit in the
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neat academic boxes, right? So something like
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that would definitely be helpful to young
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people or even older people with disabilities
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to move through processes like that, yes? Absolutely.
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Absolutely. That's great. And another thing that
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comes to mind where something like this might
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be applicable is, you know, there are the homeless
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individuals, right? And there's a lot to unpack
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with that whole.. all of the situations with our
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homeless individuals because, um, their their brains
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are literally suffering from being in survival
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mode and so there's processes that are shut down,
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which you know sets them a bit apart, so in a
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sense they would be also moving through disability
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type of services, uh and trying to get on their
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feet, um and then some of the things that are
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also impacting our homeless community, um particularly
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over here in Olympia in Thurston county are
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the homeless encampments that we have over here
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and there are city ordinances um that really
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make life difficult like you can't literally..
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it's illegal for them to find a place that's
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not a shelter. And many shelters do not have
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the space to handle everybody. And so I have
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a question around that. So how can the Office
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of Equity support a smoother transitioning of
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these individuals and these ordinances that are
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directly creating very strong barriers to moving
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forward? Well, it's an interesting question.
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You know, one of the things that we tried to
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do was make Homeless and Housing Resources available,
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and the governor's team is actually working on,
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um, kind of some policy I think, around this some
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some um.. another possible executive order around
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this but I think it's still in the early stages,
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so it's not ready to report on yet, but I think
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there is a... there's a work group that involves
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multiple folks from different agencies and the
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governor's office working to understand how to
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approach.. this very topic. It's just not
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yet ready to report out on, but I do know that
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there's work being done in that regard. That sounds
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very hopeful and promising! Yeah yeah yeah, and
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you know for us, as soon as that work is ready
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to be released, we'll be ensuring that we are
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sharing that with the public. Yes indeed, that
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would be great. There there is a challenge
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over here, I don't know about other areas of Washington,
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but the challenge over here is that they're... It's
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kind of lip service to a degree where, yes, they
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will say, you have this amount of time to move
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your things and then their things get bulldozed
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before that time was up. And this is a recurring
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habit and pattern where individuals have IDs
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and personal items of identification and things
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like that that they need to be able to get into
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different programs, uh and they lose their stuff
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and aren't given a chance to pick themselves
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up before everything is gone and it's really
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unfair uh and so I am looking forward towards
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a better day moving forward with the Office of
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Equity's plans with that, thank you so much, TraeAnna.
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I think a lot of people will be very happy to
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hear that that there's some good problem solving
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happening. Yeah. Then that kind of moves
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us into the Legislative Priority. So, for our
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Legislative Priorities, and you can see here,
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we have a legislative team that really focuses
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on tracking equitable policies that are introduced
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in any legislative.. when the legislation opens.
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So we work on the equitable policy recommendations,
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we try to partner with other agencies to co -create
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different strategies around legislation and policy,
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but we really love tracking where equitable practices
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are introduced through policy and ensure that
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Washingtonians know how those bills are moving
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through the legislative process. But, there's a huge
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part of this that I think is really around the
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way that Washingtonians are experiencing the
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legislative process. And so we're really working
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to not only inform and engage folks, but when
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we have our... legislative priorities identified
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at the beginning of the legislative session we
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work to share those out, and of course they change
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in any different session, right? Because there
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are certain things that have been brewing for
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some time that are ready to hit the floor when
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the legislative process opens. And we share those
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out again, in the bill numbers, how it's moving
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through from the Senate to the House and ways
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and means the committees. We work to ensure that
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people understand how things are moving. I think
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there's a gap because I know for me as a community
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member, if I'm not aware of certain policies
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or, you know, legislative ideas that are moving
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through the process that could impact me as a
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Washingtonian. then I don't know how to track
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it. I don't know how to follow up on it. I didn't
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know that it was introduced. So we're really
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trying to bridge the gap of understanding so
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that folks understand, hey, here are some of
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the bills that we're tracking because these are
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connected to our body of work, even if we're
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not directly involved with them. And so we try
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to do that. We also.. there are times where we
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are able to work, to do agency request legislation,
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and we have developed a process internally for
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that as our legislative team has is has been
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maturing over the last year and a half, um so,
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that's kind of how we work through the
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legislative session, is to identify those bills
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that are introducing equitable approaches, follow
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and track them and keep community engaged. I love
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the sound of all of that, because that's really
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what I'm about also is, how can we help people
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know what's happening? Because if you don't know
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what you don't know, and if you don't know what's
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happening, how can you make choices for yourself,
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right? I love that. And it sounds like that's
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a good segue to the next section, which is resources.
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And then you have a nice... hefty list there..
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Resource Library, Community Engagement Toolkit,
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Community Compensation Guidelines, Funding Opportunities,
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Plain Language, Guidance Agencies, and your State
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Contracting Resources. Can you break all of that
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down for us, please? Yeah, this is quite a bit,
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right? It is, yes. But again, I think, you know,
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the mandate for our office is RCW40 .06D, overall
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.06D. And it basically says we are here to increase
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this access. So when we think about resources,
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we know there are a lot of service -facing agencies
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that focus on resources to folks. We have been
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trying to be a conduit for those resources through
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our wa4all .wa .gov site. If you go there, you
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will see that we have worked to congregate resources
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that are available from the state and from communities
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across the state, community organizations across
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the state in a wide variety of categories. We
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have several that have been identified as very
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necessary. So we put them up front with community
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members, state and local government resources,
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tribes and indigenous communities, nonprofits
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and community -based organizations, the private
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sector and philanthropy and data and reporting
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as being some major key areas where resources
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need to be accessible. But we also have our impact
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areas below that. So we have resources for all
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of our impact areas. Again, this is over 300
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resources that are statewide. We have food justice,
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digital equity, career opportunities, housing
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and home ownership, transportation and mobility,
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economic justice, healthy environment, early
26:04
childhood development. resource and natural..
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recreation and natural resources, health and
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human services, vibrant communities, law and
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justice, education and opportunity, safety, and
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state and local practices. So I name all of those
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because this WA for All site has been a game
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changer for us. We started it last year and I'm
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so grateful that, you know, a lot of folks on the
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Comms team have been working diligently
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to bring this resource to life because there's
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a lot of places you can find things, and again,
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it's hard if you don't know which place to find
26:49
something. So we work with agencies to amplify
26:51
their current list of resources. And we gather
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resources from community members, organizations,
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institutions, leaders, everyday folks who have
27:03
a good resource to share. There's a way to easily
27:06
share their resource right on the website. There's
27:09
a form they can easily fill out. We then are
27:11
able to put it in the right category on the website.
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So that's a major, it's a major game changer,
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and has been for us. The Community Engagement
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Toolkit is something that we're so grateful for
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because a lot of agencies have kind of had that
27:30
question, well, how do I do it, right? Where
27:31
are the guidelines? We all kind of want to do
27:34
this, but how do we do it? And so the community
27:36
engagement toolkit. walks agencies through a
27:41
more streamlined process of how to do that. It
27:45
helps them understand how to plan accordingly
27:48
based on what their project is or their engagement
27:51
opportunity is. It gives them tools for that
27:55
and templates, as well as best practices for
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engaging with our community members statewide.
28:03
So we help them. We talk about how to use this
28:06
toolkit. We give them the information. We have
28:10
a project manager on our end who can also support
28:14
in terms of if they need further consultation
28:17
on utilizing the toolkit. We try to do that and
28:21
make it really accessible for agencies. Our Community
28:26
Compensation Guidelines is another amazing approach
28:31
that Washington is taking to compensate community
28:34
members when they do participate in agency work
28:37
groups. If they're doing work and bringing their
28:40
lived experience to government work, they should
28:43
be compensated for it. So the Community Compensation
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Guidelines really help agencies understand how
28:51
to pay community members when they play a huge
28:55
role in shaping public understanding or public
28:59
policy within any agency, how they incorporate
29:03
their lived experience to make government more
29:05
accessible for folks who are like them, because
29:09
you have to have those folks at the table in
29:11
order to understand how to serve community better.
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So that's what our community compensation guidelines
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says. And again, these are amazing tools that
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state agencies get to utilize so that there is
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a streamlined approach that is established for
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agencies to ensure not only the importance of
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community engagement, but now they have a blueprint.
29:37
They have a way to do it, and so you know
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folks acknowledge that I don't know what that
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is. No! We have a way for you to engage and we
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have a way for you to pay folks when they do
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engage, and those toolkits are right there for
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them to and the guidelines are there for them
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as well. The funding opportunities we pull, so
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we have that available on WA for All as well,
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but we realize that sometimes folks are just
30:00
looking for where are grants where is funding
30:04
from the state level and so we wanted to make
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that very clear under our resources that there
30:08
is a way for them to be engaged and find out
30:13
that information so we work to partner with different
30:18
agencies who do have funding opportunities, and
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we just direct people right back to those other
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agencies. We ourselves don't have funding that
30:29
we give out to community, but we know that there
30:31
are service agencies who do that work. So we
30:34
just work to amplify and uplift the work that
30:36
they're doing in state government. We have to
30:48
talk to folks in ways they understand. So in
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our office, we really work to have no more than
30:55
like a 10th grade reading level for our communications.
30:58
At times, it's a policy heavy document. So it's
31:02
going to be a little bit above that. Or depending
31:04
on the complexity of the topic, it could increase
31:08
that reading level in terms of how we write about
31:12
something. But we really work to not only do
31:15
it internally as an office but to share with
31:18
other agencies how to do it and the governor's
31:21
team has an extensive list of plain language
31:25
resources. We just wanted to put like a kind of
31:28
short, hey this is how you can do it, opportunity
31:31
together for folks to know exactly how they can
31:35
speak in plain language we just have a few resources
31:38
here and then we also, like, direct folks back
31:41
to some of those broader resources. So our work
31:45
is to really continue to amplify what's happening,
31:48
what's available already in state government.
31:52
And then for our guidance to agencies, we were
31:55
in a time where everyone was asking, how do we
32:02
speak about this work? How can we approach this
32:05
when there's a change in federal administration?
32:09
And the work that we were just starting to embark
32:11
on or have been doing for a long time is now
32:14
being attacked. What should we be doing as state
32:17
government? And so I'm so grateful for our leadership
32:19
with Director Megan Matthews, who, you know,
32:24
worked with other partners to pull together specific
32:27
guidance to agencies that we have produced over
32:31
time. We have like, three memos that we've shared
32:35
with state agencies that we wanted to make publicly
32:38
available so that again, Washingtonians, we're
32:41
being transparent about the ways that we are
32:43
trying to approach uh equitable work within state
32:48
government, and so that's what our Guidance to
32:51
Agencies resource is all about. And then one
32:55
I'm I'm super excited about is our state contracting
32:59
resources. This is one where no matter where
33:04
you are in the state, if you are a small business
33:06
owner, you know that there is a barrier to doing
33:12
business with state government. There's multiple
33:14
barriers that many small business owners face.
33:18
And we recognize that we have to do some serious
33:21
work and work with a contractor and work with
33:24
our team to identify what those barriers are
33:27
and how can we work with other state agencies
33:30
that do business and that also are, you know,
33:35
agencies who do a lot of contracts with small
33:38
business. What does it look like for state procurement
33:41
to change and adjust so that those barriers are
33:45
being mitigated for business owners across the
33:48
state? So much of that is because if you are
33:51
a single person LLC, right? You run your business.
33:56
It's just you. You don't have another person
34:00
on staff to fill out all of this paperwork to
34:03
hope that you get a response in six to eight
34:06
weeks, and, you know, to look at where the procurement is. So
34:10
we really tried to create a guide for businesses
34:14
by working with other agencies on contracting
34:18
and coming up with some different ways to open
34:22
the doors for businesses to really contract with
34:26
the state. So we're really proud of all of those
34:29
resources and I'm so grateful that we are able
34:33
to work on streamlining how resources can not
34:37
only get to the people, but be utilized so that
34:41
folks can really thrive. Oh, thank you for sharing
34:45
all of that. The Media Library, and the When We Belong podcast.
35:00
I was so excited to see that y 'all also had
35:02
a podcast. Those are really well done. Thank
35:05
you for having them. I love the legislative sessions,
35:09
the videos, newsletters, convening videos, equity
35:14
learning videos, equity statements, Equity Ain't
35:17
Dirty videos. I love that. It's such great stuff
35:21
y 'all got there. Can you break all that down for
35:24
us? You're really doing a great job breaking everything
35:27
down, thank you so much. Well, you've done a
35:30
great job of compiling it all so it makes it
35:33
easy to talk about it in a succinct way, even
35:36
though it may seem long -winded because there's
35:38
a lot we're talking about right but um, so for
35:42
me coming into state government I recognized
35:44
like, I wanted to, as a communications director,
35:48
I wanted to approach the way we communicate in
35:50
a different way, and maybe provide an example
35:53
for other agencies that government can produce
35:57
engaging content when we do a few things. One
36:03
is personalizing content by showing our staff,
36:09
our employees, showing them on screen. So when
36:12
we talk about who is doing this work. you get
36:14
a direct reflection of those folks and who is
36:18
actually doing the work. You know, when I said
36:22
I come from community organizing before this
36:26
job, I just, you know, I don't know who works
36:30
at DSHS or who works at DOL or who, you know?
36:34
We don't, as state employees.. there's not enough
36:38
of, let me show you who I am and let me relate
36:41
to you person to person. human to human, Washingtonian
36:46
to Washingtonian, right? So I wanted to create
36:51
some innovative approaches to incorporating video
36:55
series as a way for us to explain the inner workings
37:00
of what we're doing day over day. We are public
37:04
servants and these series all kind of grew out
37:10
of a need. to do just that, to make the work
37:14
we do accessible, transparent, and personal to
37:20
us so that we're opening ourselves up to those
37:23
that we're serving. Because we're also those
37:26
we're serving, right? Any state employee who
37:30
lives in Washington state is the exact person
37:34
that they should be serving in their agency,
37:36
right? You're serving. another Washingtonian.
37:39
So, When We Belong started as an opportunity to
37:43
connect with certain folks across state government
37:46
in different agencies to talk about how we were
37:49
engaging in discussions and strategies around
37:55
making Washington state a belonging state because
37:59
it starts with like government service messaging
38:02
is important but, can people access what they
38:05
need? Do they feel comfortable when they come
38:08
to a government building and have to work with
38:10
someone across a counter because they are in
38:13
need of service and they come there to be serviced?
38:16
Do they feel like their dignity is being upheld?
38:21
How can we be intentional about what we're doing
38:24
for service line agencies to have a sense of
38:30
belonging? And what do we have to dismantle in
38:34
order to make that happen? So When We Belong
38:36
kind of started from that notion of, let's get
38:39
folks together to start talking about how we
38:41
do this and make it accessible for anyone who
38:44
comes to our site, anyone who goes to our YouTube
38:47
channel, they can see that we're just having
38:49
these real discussions. Creating an opportunity
38:54
for folks to be on a journey with us around how
38:58
we engage in a legislative session. was really
39:03
an opportunity to say, hey, we're new. We're
39:07
a young office. Come with us on this journey
39:11
as we learn how to do legislative sessions. Let's
39:16
make that transparent so that folks know this
39:19
is what it looks like. And man, here are my reflections
39:23
of the day after being. involved in a legislative
39:27
session all day. And so that's how we got to
39:31
that body of work. Our newsletters are how we
39:36
tell people about what we're doing on a regular
39:40
basis. Now we have a biannual newsletter because
39:43
we produce so many other forms of communications
39:45
that we said, let's just make sure folks are
39:48
updated because we have different teams within
39:51
the office. And we want folks to be on this journey
39:53
with us. And so that allows us to always share
39:56
what we're doing. When we were producing a statewide
40:00
convening, which we had to, we actually had to...
40:06
I don't want to say, but we had to adjust and
40:12
pivot because of budget. So we no longer do these
40:15
convenings, but we wanted to make it clear what
40:17
people were gathering to do and what that experience
40:21
looked like through our convening videos. Our
40:24
Equity Learning series, those videos are opportunities
40:28
for state employees to gather around specific
40:33
topic areas. At times it's us having an expert
40:37
come in to talk about a very specific topic that
40:39
applies to state agencies and state employees.
40:43
Other times it's amplifying what another agency
40:46
may be doing really well, kind of sharing best
40:49
practices and different techniques and approaches
40:53
to the work. And then our equity statements are
40:58
drafted by our team as a collective. We work
41:03
with state. We work with our equity employees
41:05
because we have, as a remote office, where we're,
41:12
I guess, in a great position to have lived experience
41:15
from all over the state be within our equity
41:20
staff. And so when certain social conditions
41:25
happen that are impacting different identities
41:29
and different cultural backgrounds, we want folks
41:35
to be able to share their specific reaction
41:38
to that in a way that allows us to get these
41:41
statements drafted. We want people to know that
41:44
we are also like them. Even though we're state
41:49
employees, we are Washingtonians and we carry,
41:54
you know, intersectional identities in our personal
41:59
lives. And there are many times where we are
42:02
just as impacted as anyone else when it comes
42:05
to some of these social conditions or social
42:07
issues that um that make us need to say something
42:12
so that folks understand that we see you and
42:14
we feel you because we are feeling it too that's
42:17
what our equity statements do. Of course with
42:22
the change of administration, we wanted to be
42:24
clear that equity ain't a dirty word right? It's
42:28
not.. it's not dirty for us to do this work. It
42:32
is necessary, it is vital. So Megan Matthews, our
42:37
director, Megan Matthews, has personal one -on
42:40
-one conversations with equity champions across
42:44
the country through a conversational style interview,
42:51
really. And it's really just a conversation that
42:53
the camera is picking up and it's been packaged
42:55
well with our branding. But that's what Equity
42:58
Ain't Dirty is all about. It was about the fact
43:01
that we had to make it clear. We were standing
43:03
on our commitment to be equitable in our service
43:07
to Washingtonians. We're not wavering in that
43:10
commitment, and we want to amplify others across
43:13
the country who are doing the same. That brings
43:16
up an important question that I had wanted to
43:19
ask. With the federal administration's policies
43:23
around... LGBTQ and DEI, diversity equity inclusion,
43:29
and there's this thing where they're like,
43:34
like shutting down any any organizations requests
43:40
for grant funding if they include any language
43:43
like that or about those things, and I was
43:48
wondering how those policies are impacting you
43:51
guys the work that you're doing and the the funding
43:55
opportunities that y 'all are providing. Well
43:58
so what's great about us is we are not funded
44:01
through federal funds as an office. Oh! That's good to know! We are funded
44:07
specifically through Washington state funding,
44:09
and our funding we're part of a central services
44:12
model so we're funded through other agencies
44:15
within state government pour in to make our budget
44:18
real. So that gives us the autonomy a bit, to
44:22
be able to double down on our equity efforts
44:25
in a way that we know is not real for every agency.
44:29
There are a lot of agencies who are faced with
44:32
budgetary challenges because of this shift in
44:37
the federal administration and their priorities.
44:40
And so we recognize that as well. That's another
44:44
reason why we have to talk about it in the ways
44:46
we do because Washington State is standing firm
44:49
based on Governor Ferguson's commitment and before
44:52
him, you know, Governor Inslee's commitment to
44:54
being equitable in our service to Washingtonians.
44:58
That's why our office was created. And so you're
45:01
absolutely right. We recognize that every, you
45:04
know, that series can't have everyone on it because
45:06
some folks are like, look. we had to make certain
45:10
shifts or we've had to make certain cuts or we've
45:12
had to do certain things to stay in existence.
45:14
And that's just being real. And it's being felt
45:16
by so many different institutions who have built
45:21
their foundation on equitable service or service
45:26
to certain populations. And so we recognize that.
45:30
We recognize that hardship. It is real. It's
45:33
being felt by many, many Americans. Thank you.
45:38
Thank you for that. It sounds like that would
45:41
also be affecting how y 'all work with the immigration
45:45
laws and ICE, and how y 'all might be helping people to
45:51
navigate those issues. Yeah, this is why the
45:54
immigration subcabinet was so vital, because
45:58
we had to have a concentrated effort on how we're
46:01
adjusting, supporting our immigrant refugee community.
46:07
But that's also why we saw a need to expand that
46:11
to our LGBTQ plus community and our people with
46:14
disabilities community. Because the reality is
46:18
a lot of these issues are impacting other folks
46:23
as well. And there are concentrated efforts to
46:29
dismantle a lot of the work that's been built
46:32
over decades of time to protect our people, and
46:37
to make sure people can be who they are. And
46:39
so you're absolutely right. That was exactly
46:42
why we had to invest our time and energy in building
46:48
up the immigration sub cabinet alongside community
46:51
organizations and community folks who that is
46:55
what they're dealing with day in and day out.
46:58
It was important for us to have a concentrated
47:00
effort. You're absolutely right. The irony, I
47:04
just have to say this because the irony, I'm
47:08
going to say the quiet part out loud, that is
47:12
that every single human being that lives in this
47:17
country is an immigrant if you are not a Native
47:21
Indigenous American. That is the irony. Hello.
47:26
Let's remember who we are, people, and where
47:28
we came from. I couldn't agree with you more.
47:42
How can people get involved? It looks like there
47:45
are different ways for that. You have Partners
47:48
in Equity, volunteering with commissions, community
47:51
advisory board.. that was mentioned earlier. Yeah.
47:55
You know, this for me is a big, big push. You
48:00
know, We have ways for folks to be engaged and
48:04
informed in the work by subscribing. On our website,
48:09
there's a button, it pops, there's a pop -up
48:11
that says subscribe here. There's also a button
48:14
down below that says subscribe. And it's because
48:16
we know that it's important for people to get
48:20
information. Did we talk about the Community
48:24
Advisory Board again? When we have openings for
48:30
the Community Advisory Board, if you are, we
48:33
try to push those on our social media so you
48:36
can follow us on social media. Look up the Office
48:39
of Equity. It'll pop up. You can subscribe to
48:45
those newsletters. We work to publish that
48:48
as broadly as we can when those openings and
48:50
those applications open up for new advisory board
48:53
members um and again we accept all types of
48:58
lived experience it's very vital to our work,
49:00
there are.. we don't run the commissions
49:04
but we always want to amplify other opportunities
49:07
for folks to get engaged in state government
49:08
through volunteering with the commissions.
49:11
They are, you know strong partners of ours, so
49:14
those are two major areas of opportunity for
49:17
folks to get involved. There's also other work
49:20
groups that are created and when we are aware
49:24
of those work groups, again we will be working
49:26
to amplify them as best we can, so I, I encourage
49:30
folks to follow us on social, you know, and
49:34
and when we have opportunities whether it is
49:37
you know job opportunities or opportunities for
49:40
folks to get engaged we always blast them. And
49:43
so for some people who are going through, say,
49:46
DSHS WorkSource Solutions kind of thing, you
49:51
can go and log in and there's all the job opportunities
49:53
they've got to go look for. So they can find
49:57
those opportunities too there, yes? Absolutely.
50:00
Our jobs are always posted in the same ways as
50:05
those job listings that come up through WorkSource.
50:08
Oh, cool. I heard you say that you recognize
50:14
that there are individuals who are not able to
50:17
access things online so I love the sound of that
50:20
because we take this whole transcript and we
50:23
print it into free zine booklets that are distributed
50:27
in the community, so we have analog, right there,
50:31
material, so I wonder... it was sounding a little bit
50:34
like you said you have publications that get
50:36
printed out as well, yes? So our publications don't
50:39
automatically get printed out, but we're working
50:41
to build out our engagement strategy. I just
50:44
am about to hire an engagement manager to help
50:48
us build that out because we want to make sure
50:50
that we are not only just pushing things through
50:53
our digital platforms, but that we are also increasing
50:56
our reach by connecting with smaller media outlets
50:59
across the state who have those trusted messenger
51:02
models in their communities that can then share
51:05
information in ways that make sense for their
51:07
communities. So things like that, you know, creating,
51:11
you know, smaller ads for radio stations that
51:14
allow us to do some free kind of PSAs and push
51:18
those out, right? Looking at different colleges
51:21
that have studios where we can push out PSAs
51:24
to, you know, folks on campuses, so we're looking
51:28
at a lot of different ways strategies to incorporate
51:30
over the next you know i don't know however much
51:33
time to really make sure that our analog strategy
51:36
is very strong i can hook you up with KAOS radio.
51:40
Oh nice! That's where we air, yes! So I like how... when we
52:01
go back to the plain language and your accessibility
52:05
to everyone and how you want to have people working
52:09
with you in the advisory committee with all the
52:14
different kinds of lived experience that you
52:17
can possibly imagine. That tells me that you're
52:22
breaking down barriers because a lot of people
52:26
have this conception of themselves that they
52:31
are not able, they are not adequate. Their voices
52:35
do not matter and do not count. They are homeless
52:38
nobody. And what I'm hearing is that is just
52:42
simply not true, that every voice matters. And
52:46
we especially want those voices to be included
52:49
because it's, you know, everyone is part of the
52:55
community. Not just the people who live in houses
52:58
and have nice jobs, right? Yeah, no one is a
53:01
throwaway. Let's just be clear. You know, there
53:04
are no throwaways. We are all here having a human
53:07
experience. We are all in these vessels as human
53:11
beings. And we deserve to have the dignity of
53:14
being incorporated, of being seen, valued, and
53:18
heard in ways that are felt. So thank you for
53:23
sharing that because that's why we have to be
53:25
champions of this work. You understand? Yes. I don't
53:28
get to take this off because it's five o 'clock
53:31
and I'm clocking out. That's not what we're talking
53:34
about here. This is round the clock work because
53:36
our people need us right now. We do not have
53:40
the privilege of removing this champion cape
53:47
or hat for nothing, especially now. when so many
53:52
people are in need. So you're absolutely right.
53:55
We care for everyone. And when we talk about
53:58
building and creating and exploring and, you
54:04
know, cultivating a Washington for All, we are
54:08
talking about ALL, period. Thank you so much
54:12
for saying that. We need to let people hear that
54:15
as much as possible. It's so healing and good
54:18
to hear those words. And very educational for
54:22
some who may not choose that view and so we hope
54:26
that one day everyone will share this view that
54:29
we share. That's right thank you. What else you would
54:35
like to share? I just, I think that was it. I
54:38
mean, you just buttoned it up so well with saying
54:42
that, because I think that that's.. when I talk
54:44
about Washington for All, that's what we're saying.
54:47
And we're, you know, we're working to make sure
54:49
other agencies understand that. So it's really,
54:51
you know, everyone moving in that same vein.
54:55
So I thank you for sharing that so that I could,
54:58
so I can button it up with that because it's
54:59
real. Oh, you're welcome so much. Thank you so
55:02
much for engaging with me in this interview.
55:06
I appreciate you. Absolutely. Likewise. I appreciate
55:09
the work you're doing to inform our communities.
55:12
Stay in it. Stay in it, Rainmaker. I'm not going
55:15
nowhere. TraeAnna presented an amazing breakdown
55:27
for us of all the information you can find on
55:30
the Office of Equity's website. If you would
55:33
like to find out more or get in touch with them,
55:35
go to equity.wa.gov, email them at info@
55:41
equity.wa.gov, call 360 -902 -3335, and for
55:49
TTY Relay, dial 711. That's it for today's Resource
56:02
Report produced by Pathways to Agency. At Pathways
56:06
to Agency, we are driven by the belief that everyone
56:08
should have the tools and support to achieve
56:11
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56:14
Our mission is to bridge the gaps in understanding,
56:17
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56:21
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56:25
that can lead to personal and community growth.
56:29
Resource Report offers information about existing
56:32
and emerging nonprofits and resource organizations.
56:36
Find out more at pathwaystoagency .org. You can
56:41
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56:45
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56:52
report. Till next time, and thanks for listening.