Q&A
Timeline for racial equity progress reports and planning
0:58:38
·
7 min
Council Member Williams asks about the timeline for racial equity progress reports and planning, including whether MOERJ expects to revert to the originally envisioned schedule after this year. Commissioner Sherman clarifies the timeline and process.
- The Commission on Racial Equity will provide an evaluation of MOERJ's plan after it's prepared
- MOERJ will prepare a progress report in the year following the plan's release
- The goal is to get back to the original timeline outlined in the charter after this initial report
- MOERJ has been engaging with city agencies through briefings, trainings, and one-on-one meetings
- Agencies have shown excitement and enthusiasm for the racial equity planning process
Nantasha M. Williams
0:58:38
Okay.
0:58:39
According to the Charter's 2024 racial equity planning scheduling, MOE R Jay Musk Club published its 1st racial equity progress report no later than 3 weeks after the mayor submits the city wide ratio equity plan.
0:58:52
Does MOERJ expect to be able to follow this schedule for the currently projected ratio equity planning timeline?
0:58:59
So in other words, can we at this progress report by the end of the year.
Sideya Sherman
0:59:03
So I think that that maybe the progress report is to the year after.
0:59:10
I think maybe that is the risk the the commission on ratio equity provides a risk yeah.
0:59:14
Exactly.
0:59:15
So the commission on ratio equity would, you know, is an independent commissioner.
0:59:18
I know you'll hear from them later today.
0:59:20
They provide an evaluation of our plan after it's prepared, and then we prepare progress report in the next year.
0:59:26
And we'll be attracting to that.
Nantasha M. Williams
0:59:28
Okay.
0:59:29
Does MOERJ expect to revert to the originally envisioned schedule for ratio equity plans after this year?
0:59:36
So in other words, will the ratio equity planning process for 2026 follow the tie timeline outline in the charter?
Sideya Sherman
0:59:43
Our goal is to get this back on to the I would original timeline after this initial report for all of the deliverables.
Nantasha M. Williams
0:59:49
Thank you.
0:59:50
Could you speak to how the ratio equity planning process is going so bar and how MOERJ has been engaging with or plans to engage city agencies and systems.
Sideya Sherman
1:00:00
Sure.
1:00:00
I will turn to our deputy commissioner, Nagash, to speak about that.
Dabash Negash
1:00:04
Yep.
1:00:04
So as the commissioner mentioned, we've briefed our leadership here at city hall.
1:00:09
We've also briefed our agency commissioners, chiefs of staff, other leaders within the administration, We spent a considerable amount of time also preparing to kind of what we're calling, like, onboarding agencies into the process, training them and ensuring that they have the understanding we have shared understanding of the the language that we're using, the work that we're doing, and the goals that we're setting.
1:00:35
And give them the tools, as I said, that they really need to complete this, to complete their plan.
1:00:42
We've also been Meeting with agencies 1 on 1 to just brainstorm and be a thought partner in this work.
1:00:49
As the commissioner mentioned, we've had a number of agencies that are just extremely excited to move this forward.
1:00:55
Have a lot of ideas.
1:00:56
We have, you know, city staff who have been with the city for a long time and have also been doing equity work.
1:01:01
Just in their, you know, divisions or working to push it forward within their agency.
1:01:06
So they're excited to build on that.
1:01:09
So we're providing 1 on 1 support technical assistance.
1:01:12
We've recently hired a director of equity planning and technical assistance who's helping to lead that process as well.
1:01:18
And we're utilizing a collaborative process once draft plans are submitted to really review them, understand them, and see how we can partner to just finalize them and ensure that they're quality, they're transformative, and they, you know, meet the demands of the charter, what the charter is asking us to do when New Yorkers have asked us to do.
Nantasha M. Williams
1:01:41
Thank you.
1:01:42
And you kind of somewhat answered the next question.
1:01:45
Which is how would you describe agency's general level of preparation for engaging in this ratio equity planning process, and it does seem, as you mentioned, that some agencies might already have an equity officer or, you know, someone that is serving in a in a equity like role already doing this work, but I don't know if you have anything else to add in terms of the the general sort of level of preparation that they have to engage in this process.
Dabash Negash
1:02:16
Yeah.
1:02:16
I would add that, you know, every I think we recognize that every agency is in a different place.
1:02:20
So what we're trying to do is, you know, understand where they are, 1st and foremost.
1:02:25
You know, meet them where they are and then see, you know, where we need to go to to meet the the goals of the plan and and what the charter has asked us to do.
1:02:34
So we have, you know, general tools and resources that we're providing.
1:02:37
But, you know, when we're connecting and meeting with agencies, we're also asking them what they need from us.
1:02:43
Maybe that's Outside of that frame, you know, what we've provided so that we can ensure that they have what they need to move forward.
1:02:49
But, yeah, I
Nantasha M. Williams
1:02:50
I just would, you know, reiterate we have agencies that are really excited to do this work.
1:02:55
Awesome.
1:02:55
And, you know, understanding that no agency is alike are you able to provide, like, estimation around how many agencies already have an equity officer or Somebody may be doing diversity.
1:03:11
I know a lot of times these positions are sitting in HR offices, like EEO.
1:03:17
I feel like allowed EU officers and agencies tend to be doing this work.
1:03:20
So are you able to roughly say across agencies, you know, how many agencies actually have someone doing this work?
1:03:28
Yes.
1:03:29
So estimation.
Dabash Negash
1:03:30
Yeah.
1:03:30
I mean, I would just to answer that, I would say that, you know, what we've asked commissioners and agency heads, executive directors, to really do is we don't wanna rely on 1 single person to carry out this work.
1:03:43
Across the agency.
1:03:44
It's way too big and a very important process.
1:03:50
And we like, as the commissioner said, like, we want these to be quality plans.
1:03:53
So what we've asked agencies to do is really form a racial equity planning team within their agency that cuts across different functions to really ensure that, you know, plans speak to core business, and we're not just relying on a single person, right, with an equity title or a particular division to really craft that plan.
1:04:13
It has to cut across it has to cross cut across functions if we want to ensure that it's transformative.
Nantasha M. Williams
1:04:19
No.
1:04:20
I think that's right.
1:04:21
But are you able to share, like, agencies that already either have a person or an office
Dabash Negash
1:04:31
as in as in, like, a chief equity like, a some like, an equity like, an equity titled position
Nantasha M. Williams
1:04:36
or someone that may not have, like, the title equity.
1:04:40
But when you speak to them, like, their portfolio per fully include some forms of, like, assessing equity, whether it's within the agency itself and or the work that they're doing, you know, for New York girls.
Dabash Negash
1:04:53
I oh,
Linda Tigani
1:04:54
go ahead.
1:04:54
Sorry.
Sideya Sherman
1:04:55
No.
1:04:56
Go
Dabash Negash
1:04:56
ahead.
1:04:57
We can follow-up.
1:04:58
I don't have a, like, a list like that with me today, but we can start only follow-up.
Nantasha M. Williams
1:05:02
Okay.
1:05:02
No problem.
Sideya Sherman
1:05:03
And I would just add I mean, obviously, all officers have EEO officers.
1:05:06
All agencies have EEO officers who may or may not be involved or the the person in the planning process.
1:05:12
All agencies also have chief diversity officers.
1:05:15
Mhmm.
1:05:16
Usually, these folks have responsibilities associated with MWD contract thing, but sometimes they have responsibilities that are beyond that.
1:05:24
But to your point, there are other types of equity roles in different agencies.
1:05:28
Some may not be titled that way too, and this planning process is also helping us identify those folks.
Nantasha M. Williams
1:05:35
Are you intentionally doing that or is that happening by chance?
Sideya Sherman
1:05:39
It's in so we to to to deputy commissioner Nagash's point, when we reached out to create planning teams, we've asked agencies to identify someone who reports to the agency head as part of the planning team.
1:05:51
That could be a deputy commissioner for instance.
1:05:53
That could also be their equity person, whether it's an officer, etcetera.
1:05:58
And so we've intentionally asked agencies to include those people in this this process.
Dabash Negash
1:06:02
Yep.
1:06:02
And I sorry.
1:06:03
I would just also add we we've also asked agencies to include staff that have equity expertise background and already do that work.
Sideya Sherman
1:06:11
And that their teams be diverse and reflect the the city.