Motion 2020-19 – Racial Bias and Discrimination Page 1 of 5
MOTION 2020-19:
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A MOTION OF THE PORT OF SEATTLE COMMISSION
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To direct the Executive Director to examine Port operations
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and policies for sources of racial bias and discrimination and
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to develop programs and policies eliminating inequity in all
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aspects of the organization.
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PROPOSED
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OCTOBER 13, 2020
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INTRODUCTION
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The mission of the Port of Seattle is to promote economic opportunities and quality of life in the
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region by advancing trade, travel, commerce, and job creation in an equitable, accountable, and
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environmentally responsible manner. The Port of Seattle’s Century Agenda reaffirms our
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commitment to creating opportunities and economic prosperity for all in the region by calling for
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the Port to be a model for equity, diversity, and inclusion.
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The Port of Seattle Commission demonstrated its commitment to non-discrimination with the
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passage of Motion 2018-06, which called for the Port to develop and implement an equity pilot
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program in 2018 that would support the development of a portwide equity policy directive. With
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that guidance, the Port established the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI) in 2019.
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OEDI’s mission is to build capacity across the organization to address institutional oppression
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and to transform Port policies, practices, and processes. In 2020, to support this effort, OEDI
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presented their 2019-2020 strategic plan and the Commission established the Equity and
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Workforce Development (EWFD) Standing Committee.
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The Port has made progress and taken important steps to become a more equitable organization
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and recognizes its shared responsibility and commitment to the fight against racism and
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discrimination in our society. However, in recent months we have been reminded again about
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the difficult reality of the deep roots of racism in our culture. The tragic deaths of our black
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brothers and sisters around the country have demonstrated that we need to recommit with a
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sense of urgency moving forward our racial equity work and to center the need to uproot anti-
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black racism. The Port will continue to urgently reflect on and tackle structural racism and
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discrimination faced by our employees and communities.
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The Port’s commitment to non-discrimination and equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) must be
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supported by aligned policies and procedures throughout the institution. This motion takes
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additional steps beyond what the OEDI Strategic Plan has set out to achieve by directing the Port
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to align those policies and procedures which will result in the development of a comprehensive
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policy. This will establish the Port, locally and nationally, as a leader in this work, illustrating our
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commitment to act, learn, and progress as an organization that values and centers EDI,
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accountability, and transparency.
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Item Number: 7a_motion
Meeting Date: October 13,2020
Motion 2020-19 – Racial Bias and Discrimination Page 2 of 5
TEXT OF THE MOTION
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The Port of Seattle Executive Director and the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion have
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responded to the recent national uprisings in a very intentional and impactful way that enabled
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portwide unity, healing and positive institutional change. This motion is intended to support that
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work while elevating the work for greater transparency, public accountability, and ensuring
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Commission engagement and oversight.
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To support this work, starting January 2021 the Executive Director, or designee, shall, conduct
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the following actions:
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1. Support the efforts of the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to convene our
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employees and offer learnings and deeper analysis of anti-black racism.
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a. Support and uplift the Black Lives Matter call to action and engage employees in this
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work.
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2. Require racial equity and unconscious bias training for Commissioners, the Executive
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Director, the Executive Leadership Team, supervisors, managers, and employees.
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a. Create curriculum for trainings, tailoring as needed based on different audiences.
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b. Report to the Commission on staff participation,feedback, and learnings from
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trainings in October 2021.
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3. Establish an internal Change Team with representatives from each division and
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department within the Port to assess the current state of equity, diversity, and inclusion
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for all teams.
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a. Define the assessment through portwide engagement. The assessment will be
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conducted by the Change Team, who are internal stakeholders that represent each
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division at the Port, as well as representatives from the Development and Diversity
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Council and employee resource groups (ERG).
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b. Assessment as a baseline. The assessment shall be the basis for a landscape equity
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analysis of each division. That analysis would provide a quantitative and qualitative
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baseline for Key Performance Indicators and equity metrics that each team will focus
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on for the year ahead.
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c. The assessment shall be completed by October 30, 2021.
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d. Beginning January 2022, each department or division will submit an annual report to
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OEDI who will then provide a consolidated report to the Commission on progress
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made toward equity goals on an annual basis.
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4. In addition to the portwide assessment conducted by the Change Team, OEDI will
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consider the policies and issues that have been identified by Port employees as the most
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challenging barriers to fairly accessing resources and opportunities at the Port.
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a. The assessment shall include a review of: (1) employee development, promotion and
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compensation; (2) recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion of black, indigenous,
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and people of color (BIPOC) portwide; (3) policies and practices impacting BIPOC
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contractors and WMBEs, with a particular focus on firms owned by black descendants
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Motion 2020-19 – Racial Bias and Discrimination Page 3 of 5
of slaves; (4) contracting and procurement policies and practices impacting
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community organizations’ and contractors’ access to Port resources; and (5) other
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areas identified through OEDI employee engagement.
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b. The assessment shall recommend a set of strategies and measurable outcomes that
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will address identified barriers.
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c. The assessment shall be completed by October 30, 2021.
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d. The EWFD Committee shall use the assessments conducted by the Change Team and
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OEDI to inform the development of an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy Directive
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per Motion 2018-06.
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5. Create a Community Advisory Board to ensure the Port is accountable to the public in the
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integration of equity principles into the Port’s work. The Community Advisory Board shall,
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among other clear deliverables to be developed by OEDI:
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a. Using the Equity Index, work with OEDI to inform the use of Port resources and
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investments.
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b. Inform the assessment process and provide policy recommendations to the Port on
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addressing inequities.
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c. Advise Port leadership (Port Commission and Leadership) on implementation of
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internal and external Port equity efforts.
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STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION
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Systemic oppression and institutionalized racism have existed in our country since its founding.
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Events on a national level propelled by the outrage of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis
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police – one of the most recent murders in a long history of unjust taking of black lives in our
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country – and locally actions taken against those protesting against racism and inequality have
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highlighted the long ignored structural bias and institutional discrimination that is present but
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not visible to all in our institution. Throughout American history, black, indigenous, people of
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color and immigrants have led the struggle for equity and social justice. From voting rights to civil
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rights to LGBTQ rights, BIPOC and immigrant communities have fought for generations to
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strengthen our nation and perfect our democracy. This moment builds upon the immeasurable
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sacrifice and contributions of those communities while recognizing that we all benefit from the
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eradication of social injustice.
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Bias and oppression are embedded in our society, systems, and our organization. By failing to
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acknowledge inequities, we play a role in perpetuating them. We can and must do better. It is
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time for the Port of Seattle to look introspectively and do its part in tackling these systemic
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inequities. To achieve equitable outcomes for all our communities, we must be accountable for
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equitable policies that ensure racial, social, environmental, and economic justice are achieved in
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principles, strategies, practices, and projects. One of the most important steps in becoming a
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more equitable organization is to provide more opportunities and possibilities for communities
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to provide input into programmatic, policy, and investment decisions.
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OEDI created an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strategic plan that includes a robust combination
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of long-term, short-term, transactional, and transformational strategies. To create this plan, OEDI
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held a series of six roundtable discussions in 2019 and 2020 with representatives from over 65
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organizations. OEDI captured input from more than 800 Port staff.
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The Port of Seattle Executive Director and the OEDI have begun to implement the
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recommendations as outlined in the EDI 2019-2020 Strategic Plan by employing a framework
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developed by the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) – Normalize, Organize, and
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Operationalize:
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1. Normalize: Foster discussions about race and equity at the Port by having leadership,
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management, and all staff model behavior, hosting learning events, and setting the tone
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for leadership and employee dialogues.
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2. Organize: Build infrastructure and capacity to implement equity practices by creating
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policy and completing an equity planning process. This process will include establishing
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definitions, vision and values and creating staff capacity, and strengthening relationships
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with community partners.
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3. Operationalize: Develop all the elements that allow equity principles to be fully integrated
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into day-to-day operations including budgeting with an equity lens, creating
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accountability mechanisms, and ensuring engagement by both Port staff and the public.
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This approach has positioned the Port to effectively respond to the recent national uprisings in a
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very intentional and impactful way that enabled portwide unity, healing and positive institutional
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change, and underscored the significant progress made toward becoming a more equitable and
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inclusive organization.
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The direction of this motion builds upon the EDI Strategic Plan, the 2018 Equity Motion, and input
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by Port staff, including the Port’s Development and Diversity Council, Employee Resource
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Groups, and external stakeholders. Additionally, ERGs, the Development and Diversity Council,
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and employee caucusing groups have been instrumental in providing input and working to build
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a culture of inclusion throughout the Port.
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This motion acknowledges that the fight against racism and oppression is a horizontal issue and
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should be taken into account in all areas of our policies and practices. This motion also recalls
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that all employees and community members must be entitled to protection from these
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inequities, both as individuals and as a group, including positive measures for the promotion and
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the full and equal enjoyment of their rights and benefits.
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Despite our current economic, health, and racial justice crises, the Port maintains its commitment
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to identifying and dismantling structural barriers to ensure that historically oppressed
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communities, particularly communities of color, have access to the resources they need to thrive.
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Together, we will get through these trying times; and if we center the needs of those most
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impacted by these crises, we will emerge with a deeper understanding of why our social justice
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efforts are so critical and with stronger conviction to keep them driving forward.
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