GARE completes second year
CDCR and CCHCS have completed their second successful year in the Government Alliance for Race and Equity (GARE) Capitol Cohort. Sponsored by Race Forward and the Health in All Policies, Strategic Growth Council, GARE is now looking forward.
2018 – The Learning Year
During the first GARE cohort, the team learned the core concepts of racial equity and its applicability to state government.
Concepts included a training curriculum on:
- the history, language, practices, and tools that embed racial equity approaches into institutional culture, policies, and practices
- core themes for communicating racial equity
- and how it is vitally connected to the mission of our organization
2019 – Implementation Year
With the momentum building on this work and the continued commitment from executive leadership, the team had the opportunity to participate in the GARE 2019 cohort.
This second year, the Implementation Year, continued with training sessions, data research, strategic discussion, planning and communication. It provided a blueprint to move the department forward to advance race and gender equity within the department.
The second year concluded with a team commencement in November highlighting the work and accomplishments of the individual state departments.
CDCR/CCHCS, one of the largest departments in the cohort and the only law enforcement agency, completed the year with achievements supporting the department’s efforts to continue in 2020. The team was successful with finalizing a 5-year strategic action plan to guide practices and core strategies.
The team hosted presentations and conversations to inform management and staff about GARE. They also discussed the work to normalize the conversation around race and gender equity.
The presentations offered awareness and emphasized the validity and significance of this work and the resulting impact it will have on the overall department. The team reviewed available data, identifying intervention points to improve equity in recruiting, hiring and promotional processes.
Team leaders also completed:
- Advancing Racial Equity T4T,
- participated in a mid-year Cohort Panel discussion on the importance of racial equity
- and ended the year with a two-day workshop to reflect on the year’s work and strategize plans moving forward.
2020 – Next steps and a clear vision
Race and gender equity work is intentional and multi-generational, meaning it must be sustainable if the department is to change. To accomplish this, the work must have a permanent home within the department. The creation of a dedicated unit within the Office of Civil Rights is underway. This will standardize and operationalize the work towards diversity and inclusion.
Additionally, a website will be developed to assist with communication and provide a point of access for information. A newsletter will be published periodically to provide updates and important information on the progress of the departments’ equity work.
The third year will also focus on engaging the workforce of CDCR/CCHCS. Given the size of both departments, CDCR/CCHCS is seeking individuals who can be ambassadors to our diverse workforce.
If you support, are committed to and passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion, we need you to join this effort.
By CDCR/CCHCS Race and Gender Equity Team
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