“Identify, address, and take steps to dismantle racial inequities in systems and practices that marginalize children, youth, young adults, and families.”
Inspired and guided by this central part of the Eastside Pathways 2020 – 2023 Strategic Plan, the Eastside Pathways Partnership, supported by the Eastside Pathways Backbone staff, has made strides in actualizing this Racial Equity pathway. Achieving this partnership goal will require a continued and resolute dedication to this individual and collective work. Our willingness to listen to and learn from one another, examine history together, scrutinize and modify our practices is critical if we truly want to achieve equitable pathways and outcomes, especially for children, youth, and young adults most impacted by current systems.
True to Eastside Pathways model, I want to take a moment to reflect on some of the Partnership’s racial equity journey to date, specifically that of the Backbone and the Eastside Pathways Board, so that we can keep a steady eye towards continuous learning and growth.
Though the journey towards racial equity for Eastside Pathways began in 2014, some recent highlights of this work include:
- Hiring and supporting a talented, diverse Backbone staff who are convening and facilitating our mutual work
- Centering Racial Equity in each of the Collaborative Action Networks and other convenings
- Continuing investment in Racial Equity training for Backbone staff and Eastside Pathways Partners
- Facilitating an equitable process with multiple perspectives to develop an Eastside Pathways Equity Pledge (to be rolled out to Partnership in Summer 2021). The Pledge is designed to align our common work to build a racially equitable community system.
- Facilitating a process to reimagine and design a more equitable leadership structure for the EP Partnership
Read Reimagining Leadership 2021-2022 Overview
The Eastside Pathways Board currently serves as both the required oversight of the Eastside Pathways Backbone (which is a 501c3) and as the Leadership table for the Eastside Pathways Partnership. The racial make-up of the 14 Board members includes individuals who identify as Asian (2), Black (1), and White (11). In January 2020, the Board identified – as one of its goals – an increase in diversity and power-sharing on the Board. Through the year, all Board members deepened their learning and understanding of Racism, White Supremacy, and Equity.
In the summer of 2020, a group of Black and Latinx community members was brought together by Helena Stephens and Shomari Jones to provide feedback for the Board and the work of the Partnership. The honest feedback propelled additional Board conversations, resulting in the mostly white Board understanding that we perpetuate the racial inequities in our current Board structure and norms. It became clear that the Board was not allowing the Partnership to benefit from an equitable and diverse Leadership Table.
In January 2021, the EP Board Development Committee (Sue Baugh, Josephine Young, and Cathy Habib) revised the goal from “diversifying” the Board to a broader goal of reimagining the entire Partnership leadership structure. The committee built a process and timeline for this Reimagining Leadership effort. The whole Board approved the process at the May 2021 Board meeting.
To achieve an equitable, culturally responsive leadership structure, we need to co-create that structure with Eastside Pathways Community Members and Eastside Pathways Organizational Partner Members who represent many different lived experiences, racial and cultural identities. The Board Development Committee identified that representation from the following groups is critical for this reimagining work:
- Eastside Pathways Community Members
- Eastside Pathways Organizational Partners
- Eastside Pathways Backbone staff
- Youth
- Eastside Pathways Board members (no more than 5)
Keeping in mind the goal to disrupt current systems and ensure dominant culture does not drive conversations, we are intentional that no more than one-quarter of the participants identify as White, while also ensuring to include individuals who self-identify as Black, Latinx, Asian, Immigrant, Refugee, Undocumented, Disabled, Neurodiverse, LGBTQ+.
We expect this work will be divided into 3 Phases.
Phase 1 will kick off in September and is expected to last through October 2021. The goal of Phase 1 is to build relationships and trust for the Reimagining Effort. We have turned to Fernell Miller and her team at Root of Us to facilitate this important phase.
Phase 2 will see this same group create the leadership table structure, culture, and norms so that the leadership is rooted in equity and the power is shared instead of dominated by White systems.
Finally, phase 3 will be transitioning the current Eastside Pathways Board to the new Leadership table members and building the relationships for this new group.
The Eastside Pathways Board and Backbone staff are excited to actualize a reimagined Community Partnership Leadership Structure whose collective voice will support and authentically amplify the call for needed systemic changes so that we truly see equitable outcomes for children, youth, and young adults in East King County.
Cathy Habib
Eastside Pathways Board Chair