Statement on Equity and Social Justice

Our Vision:

Martin Luther King County is a place of opportunity, fairness, equity and social justice where all people thrive.

Our Mission:

Martin Luther King County Government listens to, works with and respects the diversity of perspectives in communities to build partnerships, develop policies and deliver services that create conditions for all people to reach their full potential.

Our Current Guiding Principles:

• Develop a learning culture that supports equity
• Look beyond individual behaviors to the social, economic and physical factors in communities that shape behaviors
• Actively seek out and promote decisions and policies aimed at equity
• Work across departments
• Work side-by-side with external partners
• Enable historically marginalized communities to influence decisions and spur action
• Recognize and honor cultural differences

In King County, people of color, low income residents and ethnic groups who have limited English proficiency are more likely to experience racism, underemployment, low education, poor health outcomes, incarceration, and loss of opportunity. In addition, they are more likely to have unsafe living conditions with less access to public goods and services, resources, and life opportunities.

We in King County will apply the principles of equity and social justice in our actions, decisions and policies. Equity is defined as: All people have an equal opportunity to attain their full potential.

Inequity refers to differences in well-being between and within communities that are systematic, patterned, unfair, and can be changed. They are not random, as they are caused by our past and current decisions, systems of power and privilege, policies and the implementation of those policies.

Social justice refers to all aspects of justice, including legal, political and economic. It demands fair distribution of public goods, institutional resources and life opportunities.

We define communities as a group of people who share some or all of the following: geographic boundaries, sense of membership, culture, language, common norms and interests. To achieve Equity and Social Justice, we will take a comprehensive and systems level approach, following our guiding principles, examining our current policies and practices, and fostering a culture that supports equity practices.

• We will engage community groups that are the most impacted by inequities, as well groups that hold institutional power, to identify policies that will make a difference.
• We will create intentional policies that create the structural changes needed to improve community conditions.
• We will measure and monitor the impact of these policies on equity.

As a learning organization we will:

• Approach our work with communities by creating new opportunities for residents to influence and guide policy development that promote social, legal, political and economic justice.
• Develop and use tools such as the Equity Impact Review Tool, so that in time, every King County policy and budget decision will be considered through an equity and social justice lens.
• Find new ways for cross-departmental collaboration to address systemic issues impacting equity.
  
  

• Educate employees, including managers and supervisors, and elected policy-makers on equity and social justice and help them relate these issues to their everyday work.
• Examine the many ways that all of our lines of business, in every department, impact equity, take steps to eliminate negative impacts, and promote the implementation of equitable policies.
• Develop a culture of equity within the county that listens to, works with, and respects the diversity of opinions in communities.
  
  

• Work closely with community partners who can both lead and support efforts that ensure fairness and opportunity for all King County residents.
• Participate in a community dialogue process with community members to increase our collective understanding of equity and social justice and to spur actions.

Our work will be focused across the following 13 social, economic and physical environment factors, which we are terming social determinants of equity:

• family wage jobs/job training
• community economic development
• affordable, quality, healthy housing
• quality early childhood development
• quality education
• healthy physical environment
• community & public safety
• neighborhood social cohesion
• access to all modes of safe and efficient transportation
• access to affordable food systems and affordable and healthy foods
• access to parks and nature
• access to affordable and culturally appropriate health and human services
• racial justice in organizational practices

In 2009, King County will, for each of the 13 determinants of equity:

1. Define and establish baseline measurements
2. Set goals and targets by December 2009
3. Monitor, measure and continually improve in 2010 and beyond