Summary of Terms

Better Business Bureau

Organization that sets standards for marketplace trust and calls out substandard marketplace behavior of businesses and charities.
Source: Better Business Bureau, https://www.bbb.org/stlouis/get-to-know-us/vision-mission-and-values/

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Independent U.S. government agency overseen by Congress that regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.
Source: Federal Communications Commission (FCC), https://www.fcc.gov/what-we-do

Internalized Racism

The personal conscious acceptance of the dominant society’s racist views, stereotypes and biases of one’s racial or ethnic group.

Source: Rudy Nickens of MODOT and referenced authors, https://stlpositivechange.org/sites/default/files/meeting_attachments/041315_FC_Presentation_RacialEquity.pdf

Missouri Revised Statute 476.803.1

Part 1 of the Statute that was revised in August 2014 to state: “The courts shall appoint qualified interpreters and translators in all legal proceedings in which the non-English speaking person is a party or a witness.” The Commission calls for another revision that seeks to ensure that children have a non-familial first option translator in court.
Source: Missouri General Assembly, https://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/stathtml/47600008031.html

Racial Equity

Framework that promotes actions designed to address historic burdens and present day barriers to equal opportunities through the elimination of systemic racially discriminatory policies and practices.
Source: Rudy Nickens of MODOT and referenced authors, https://stlpositivechange.org/sites/default/files/meeting_attachments/041315_FC_Presentation_RacialEquity.pdf

Racial Healing

The restoration and repair of racialized social and opportunity structures that have caused emotional and physical suffering.
Source: W. K. Kellogg Foundation Board and Executive Council, https://stlpositivechange.org/sites/default/files/meeting_attachments/040815_CWB_Presentation.pdf

Structural Racism

A system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity. It identifies dimensions of our history and culture that have allowed privileges associated with “whiteness” and disadvantages associated with “color” to endure and adapt over time.
Source: Aspen Institute, https://www.aspeninstitute.org/sites/default/files/content/docs/rcc/RCC-Structural-Racism-Glossary.pdf

Trauma-Informed

A program, organization, or system that: a) Realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; b) Recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system; c) Responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and d) Seeks to actively resist re-traumatization.
Source: Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), https://www.samhsa.gov/nctic/trauma-interventions

Unconscious Bias

A rigid belief, positive, or negative, about a group of people that is based on limited evidence; this belief informs and can lead to microaggressions, lack of awareness of privilege, internalized racism, racism, and the belief in colorblindness.
Source: Rudy Nickens of MODOT and referenced authors, https://stlpositivechange.org/sites/default/files/meeting_attachments/041315_FC_Presentation_RacialEquity.pdf

Calls to Action Within This Area of Focus

Broadly Apply a Racial Equity Framework

Intentionally apply a racial equity framework to existing and new regional policies, initiatives, programs and projects in order to address and eliminate existing disparities for racial and ethnic populations. The following focus questions to be included at a minimum: Whom does this benefit? Does this differentially impact racial and ethnic groups? What is missing that…

Accountable Bodies:  Non-Profit Organizations Corporations Government Organizations Collective Impact Initiatives 

Tags Racial Equity

Create a 25-year Managed Fund

Create a 25-year managed fund to solely support regional racial equity infrastructure for all sectors. Funding for racial equity capacity, needs and training assessment, analysis, implementation, impact, sustained strategies and accountability.

Accountable Bodies:  Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) St. Louis County City of St. Louis St. Louis Economic Development Partnership St. Louis Regional Chamber Health Departments Civic Progress Community Foundation United Way RAC Arts & Education Council Missouri Humanities Council Gateway Center for Giving 

Tags Racial Equity

Utilize Shared Guidelines

Utilize a shared set of guidelines, language, and benchmarks for philanthropic organizations addressing key causes of systemic inequality.

Accountable Bodies:  Philanthropic Community 

Tags Racial Equity

Ensure Language Access

Ensure language access for non-English speakers through enforcement and expansion of Missouri Revised Statute 476.803.1 for courts-related services and addition of statute to include all emergency services, including law-enforcement departments and ambulance services. Consider revision of statute to disallow parents to serve as first-option translators for children in court.

Accountable Bodies:  Missouri Legislature Municipal Courts Missouri Governor City Courts County Courts 

Tags Racial Equity

Create Region-Wide Benchmarking Process

Complete a collective region-wide benchmarking process designed to publicly acknowledge challenges focused on awareness, accountability and healing. (Suggested model Jackson/Hardiman Social Identity Development.)

Accountable Bodies:  St. Louis County Diversity - Equity and Inclusion Practitioners City of St. Louis St. Louis Economic Development Partnership St. Louis Minority Business Council Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Regional Business Council St. Louis Regional Chamber 

Tags Racial Equity

Establish Regional Baselines

Establish a regional baseline on attitudes, experiences and perception regarding diversity and inclusion for use in consistently measuring regional progress at regular intervals. (e.g. Social Science Research Center at Mississippi State.)

Accountable Bodies:  Research Institutions 

Tags Racial Equity

Disaggregate Data

Require data coming from public institutions to be disaggregated by race, gender, and ethnicity when reporting regional, local, public statistics to identify trends in disparities.  

Accountable Bodies:  Local - Regional and Statewide Granting Entities Public Institutions Public Entities 

Tags Racial Equity

Create a Rating System

Create a Better Business Bureau-like consumer facing rating system as a regional benchmark for diversity. The purpose is to provide public accountability, consumer knowledge and goal-setting for regional institutions, organizations and corporations.

Accountable Bodies:  Chambers of Commerce St. Louis Minority Business Council Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis St. Louis Business Diversity Initiative Regional Business Council Mosaic Project St. Louis Regional Chamber Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of St. Louis Bosnian Regional Chamber Asian American Chamber of Commerce 

Tags Racial Equity

Create a Clearinghouse

Create a clearinghouse for professionally facilitated opportunities at various levels (school, inter/intra-race, private, etc.)

Accountable Bodies:  Diversity - Equity and Inclusion Practitioners Philanthropic Community 

Tags Racial Equity

Support and Encourage Creative Spaces

Support and encourage spaces with established community presence that think creatively about use of space and community relationships to welcome and support casual and professional learning, connecting and dialogue (e.g. City Garden Montessori and other places who are not primarily spaces for this work but will become an important partner in this dialogue).  

Accountable Bodies:  Diversity - Equity and Inclusion Practitioners 

Tags Racial Equity

Create Incentive Programs

Create incentive programs for corporations, organizations, institutions, media, and governmental agencies to participate in accredited diversity and inclusion programming and initiatives that support learning and dialogue.

Accountable Bodies:  Diversity - Equity and Inclusion Practitioners 

Tags Racial Equity

Design an Accreditation System

Design an accreditation system in partnership with national organizations (e.g. Winter Institute, Race Forward, Danforth Project for Education Equity).

Accountable Bodies:  Diversity - Equity and Inclusion Practitioners 

Tags Racial Equity

Create Neutral Space

Create dedicated physical space that is considered neutral for the primary purpose of learning, interaction and training, equipped with state-of-the-art technology and facilities.

Accountable Bodies:  Diversity - Equity and Inclusion Practitioners Philanthropic Community Business Community 

Tags Racial Equity

Provide Trauma-Informed & Anti-Bias Training for Media

Develop statewide training, best practices and accountability measures for broadcasters, print and digital media outlets in the areas of Trauma Informed Newsrooms (Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma), bias and systemic context with specific focus on impoverished communities, people of color, and boys and men of color. (Race Forward #MediaOnFerguson brief).

Accountable Bodies:  Missouri Press Association Missouri Broadcasters Association Association of National Advertisers American Society of News Editors Radio Television Digital News Association Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Federal Communications Commission 

Tags Racial Equity

Train Moderators

FCC licensees with online comments sections must employ trained moderators or close comments.

Accountable Bodies:  Missouri Broadcasters Association Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Federal Communications Commission Maynard Institute 

Tags Racial Equity

Engage the Faith Community in the Racial Equity Mission

Faith communities and authorized faith leaders are called to directly engage in networks and tables of policy discussion across the region to shape how we work together and inform the conversation directly. Develop new and provide existing assets to the region with a multi-faith set of resources for racial equity and reconciliation informed by various…

Accountable Bodies:  Theological Institutions with Alumni Leaders Inter-Faith Partnership and the Cabinet Authorized Faith Leaders 

Tags Racial Equity

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