PHILADELPHIA – The City will recognize department leaders who have developed and implemented the City’s racial equity strategy during an event on Thursday, September 29.
In January 2020, Mayor Jim Kenney signed Executive Order 1-20 to mandate that City government embed racial equity as an explicit governing principle —a lens all City departments and agencies will use to assess how their operations, including policies and procedures, impact all Philadelphians, including people of color.
Executive Order 1-20 required all City departments to complete a racial equity assessment and action plan by 2023. Through FY21, the first cohort of ten City departments participated in the multi-year strategy to identify root causes of disparate outcomes and implement customized solutions.
“At the beginning of my second term, we made a promise that racial equity would be at the center of everything this Administration does as a government. As of today, more than half of our City departments have completed a comprehensive racial equity assessment and have committed to taking action to improve equitable outcomes for city employees and residents,” said Mayor Jim Kenney. “We’re on pace to have all City departments complete this process before the end of 2023. The public servants who have stepped up to guide this critical and challenging work deserve to be recognized and applauded. They’ve willingly jumped in to do this work on top of their other responsibilities and obligations. Many of them will continue to lead our City forward long into the future and I’m incredibly proud of the work that they’ve accomplished and the impact that work will have in delivering more equitable services for residents.”
In August 2022, the second cohort of 13 City departments completed their racial equity action plans. The FY22 departments include:
- Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS)
- Department of Human Services
- Finance Department
- Free Library of Philadelphia
- Law Department
- Office of Criminal Justice
- Office of Homeless Services
- Office of Human Resources
- Office of Sustainability
- Philadelphia Fire Department
- Philadelphia Police Department
- Philadelphia Water Department
- Philly311
These departments focused on specific drivers of racial inequity within their departments, their services, and/or their relationship with the city. Departments’ priority strategies focused on reimagining meaningful Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) community partnerships. Another key theme focused on making changes to human resources policies and procedures.
Other departments honed in on strategies to create departmental culture change through employee training and development, while others highlighted the need for data and performance systems accountability. The FY22 Racial Equity Action Plans and strategy recommendations will be available in early October.
A third and final cohort of City departments (FY23) is slated to go through this process beginning in fall 2022.
The Office of the Mayor, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Nefertiri Sickout, and other officials honored and recognized the internal coordinators who spearheaded the critical work leading departmental cohort teams in the racial equity assessment and action planning process during a ceremony on Thursday, September 29 at Philadelphia City Hall.
“We are so grateful for the contributions of our racial equity coordinators,” said Chief DEI Officer Nefertiri Sickout. “The coordinators have dedicated countless hours to this work. We are proud of the analyses they have done and look forward to continuing to partner with them to help bring their strategies to life.”
Read more about the City’s racial equity approach through department cohorts.