Racial Equity and Inclusion


Roseville Staff Provides Equity Report


At the June 21, 2021 Roseville City Council meeting, Department Heads representing the city’s seven departments – Police, Parks and Recreation, Community Development, Public Works, Administration, Finance and Fire – presented a report detailing the on-going equity work currently taking place within the city.

The report discussed initiatives and actions that are taking place at the department level, in addition to the organizational goals being developed by the city in the Strategic Racial Equity Action Plan (SREAP).

Update on DEI Consultant and Strategy Team Work


During the Monday, April 19, 2021 Roseville City Council meeting, Culture Brokers, the city’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion consultant, and a Strategy Team comprised of staff members from all city departments provided an update on the work they have been performing over the past several months. The update included background on the city’s racial equity and inclusion work and the development of a Strategic Racial Equity Action Plan. Documents and presentation materials are provided below for community review.


Ending Violence towards the Asian Community


In May of 2021, Roseville Human Rights, Inclusion and Engagement Commission Vice Chair Grace Lee moderated the NineNorth Compass Series: Ending violence towards the Asian Community. The program brought awareness to the substantial increase in hate crimes against members of the Asian community, how this violence is greatly undermining the sense of security among Asian-Americans, and what can be done about it. Lee was joined in the discussion by panelists Huyen-Vy Nguyen, Rose Chu, and Ku Gay Nahpay.
The City of Roseville is dedicated to creating an inclusive community where the predictability of success is not based on race or ethnicity.

The actions of government at the federal, state, and local level have created racial disparities that continue to harm our community. Rectifying these disparities is critical to the development of a vibrant community and a high quality of life for all residents.

All City Departments will prioritize racial equity in their planning, delivery, and evaluation of programs, policies, and services.

City of Roseville


Inclusion and Respect Statement

The City of Roseville strives to be a welcoming and inclusive place for all. We are committed to promoting respectful conduct, equitable service, and diversity in our community. We condemn discrimination by or against residents, visitors, workers, city employees or city businesses. In all that we do as a City government, we pledge to treat everyone fairly, respectfully, and without bias, regardless of their color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, familial status, immigration status, sexual orientation, age, income, or disability.
The City of Roseville is committed to taking tangible steps to normalize, organize, and operationalize racial equity principles and tools, with an eye toward impactful and sustainable outcomes that create a more equitable community.

Racial Equity


Racial equity is when race can no longer be used to predict success and outcomes for all groups are improved.

Background


In 2018, a team of 14 Roseville staff members representing every department at the city participated in a year-long racial equity training. The League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) and the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) facilitated the program.

To build on this training, the city has formed a Strategy Team. The Strategy Team is a group of diverse city staff members which will work toward:

  • Providing guidance to the consultant on overall direction for the consultancy
  • Supporting the effective participation of a broader group of Stakeholders in the consultancy activities as necessary, sufficient and appropriate
  • Helping craft and review a citywide improvement plan
  • Contributing to leadership adoption of the improvement plan
This Strategy Team will evaluate, recommend and help implement activities, programs, and campaigns that further the development and adoption of the equity strategic action plan for the City of Roseville. The group is responsible for evaluating the feasibility of proposed activities and for ensuring that all recommended activities align with the mission and philosophy of the city, its values, and its equity goals. The team will also help ensure integration of improvement efforts with other city initiatives, such as GARE.

Race is consistently a primary indicator of a person’s success and wellness in society and government has historically played a role in creating barriers and inequities. These actions have created racial disparities that continue to harm our community. Rectifying these disparities is critical to the development of a vibrant community and a high quality of life for all residents.

Goals


The City of Roseville is dedicated to creating an inclusive community where the predictability of success is not based on race or ethnicity. To accomplish this goal, all city departments will prioritize racial equity in their planning, delivery, and evaluation of programs, policies, and services. The City of Roseville is committed to taking tangible steps to normalize, organize, and implement racial equity principles and tools, with an eye toward impactful and sustainable outcomes that create a more equitable community.

Progress


  • In March 2019, Roseville’s GARE team presented a long-term strategic Racial Equity Action Plan to the City Council that builds staff capacity and outlines meaningful and measurable results that will move the organization toward racial equity. The goal of the Racial Equity Action Plan is institutional and structural change developed under the guiding principle that “all people of Roseville are welcomed, included and respected.”
  • Racial equity training was provided to all city staff in November and December of 2019 and new staff receive training as part of their onboarding.
  • Future priority areas have been identified in order to begin building a foundation and sustainable effort within the organization to work on racial equity.
  • Conversations are occurring within department meetings, in Commission meetings, at City Council meetings, and in the community as the city shares its commitment to racial equity as an organizational priority.
  • In the summer of 2019, plans were initiated to recognize Hispanic Heritage Month with a celebration in Central Park. Unfortunately, the weather proved to be uncooperative but planning is already in place to host the event again in the fall of 2020.
  • In June of 2020, the Roseville Police Department and city staff combined to produce an #8CantWait webpage detailing how revisions made to the department’s Use of Force Policy align with all eight of the recommendations made by the #8CantWait initiative.
  • In July of 2020, the Roseville Police Department will launch the Multicultural Advisory Committee (MAC) to enhance communication and address racial disparities in policing to better serve Roseville’s diverse community. The MAC members will advise the Police Department on the current needs of the communities they represent with a focus on addressing racial barriers and inequities.
  • On Monday, August 10, 2020, the Roseville City Council formally adopted the Racial Equity Narrative developed by the city's Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) team.

References and Resources