Ramsey County is committed to reducing racial- and ethnic-based disparities for Ramsey County residents. Racially and ethnically diverse communities in Ramsey County experience wide disparities across many outcomes in health, education, wealth creation, and income, and beyond. These disparities are even worse for our Black and Native American residents.
Racial equity is the intentional practice of addressing historical and systemic inequalities that have disproportionately affected certain racial or ethnic groups. We recognize and acknowledge that advancing racial equity and shared community power requires deconstructing barriers and changing systems and policies. Ramsey County is operationalizing a countywide approach to advance racial equity by sharing power with community to create culturally specific strategies that will address longstanding barriers facing community that create inequities. We are working to build better relationships with community to share power and invest in employee development by providing tools and resources to ensure equity and community are embedded into county decisions.
Racial equity and shared power
Advancing Racial Equity and Shared Community Power is embedded throughout all of Ramsey County’s strategic priorities. In partnership with community, racial equity and shared community power will be operationalized through countywide tools, policies, planning and decision-making processes. By honoring the lived experiences and perspectives of communities most impacted by our system, Ramsey County will create innovative programs and service delivery models that meet the specific needs of our diverse population, reduce unintended consequences, and improve life outcomes for all residents.
Strategic priority goals
- Relaunch and align the work of Racial Equity and Community Engagement Action Teams (RECEATs) across the county to advance equity in service team outcomes.
- Update and implement a countywide racial equity policy that establishes and formalizes goals and expectations for greater accountability.
- Expand access to training and resources for employees to embed racial equity and shared community power in their work and decision-making processes.
Actionable strategies
- Ensure RECEATs in each service team include community members and participate in learning and development, create a community table for sharing power, and design and implement a service team-wide project that operationalizes equity in their service areas.
- Develop Racial Equity Action Plans (REAPs) at the countywide and service team levels.
- Partner with Human Resources to ensure all new employees complete the county’s six-hour Foundational Racial Equity in Action training as part of the New Employee Orientation.
- Implement learning and development opportunities that normalize Racial Equity and Shared Community Power as a foundational expectation, including but not limited to Racial Equity in Action training, microaggression and bias training, WITH the People engagement strategies, the Racial Equity Development Guide, and a Hiring for Equity toolkit.
