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Joy Alise is a foundingpartner of Portland basedDesign+Culture Lab andrecipient of the PDX StartupChallenge.LOCAL AND REGIONAL EQUITY STRATEGIESIn 2012, the Partnership for Racial Equity,convened by the Urban League of Portland,released a Racial Equity Strategy Guide forcity and bureau leadership. Its aim was tobuild capacity within the city to achieveequity on an operational basis. By focusingon race, the guide sets out a strategy thatwould both address Portland’s deepest racialinequities and advance whole communities.It’s three main goals can be applied to public,private and agency settings.1. Establish strong leadership, training andtechnical assistance for citywide racialequity initiatives.Racial equity starts with a commitment byleaders at all levels to eradicate inequitiesin public service and improve outcomesfor all Portlanders. This is shown throughpublic support, staff training and technicalassistance resources.2. Develop a bureau/department-specificracial equity strategy with measurabletargets.Racial equity belongs at all levels ofgovernment. Every bureau serves a uniquerole in the city’s operations and servicedelivery, and has an opportunity to improveracial equity. Taking the time to develop astrategy will help to set measurable goalsfor operations and outcomes.3. Implement strategy, develop tools andtrack progress.Through implementation, bureaus/departments can develop equity toolsto intentionally shift how they do theirbusiness in a way that has a positive socialimpact on all Portlanders.75