INCLUSION, EQUITY & REPRESENTATION

Inclusion, equity, & representation

An essential part of the Youth Igniting Change charter is to practice and advance inclusion, equity and representation in our club culture, and with any community service programs we develop and implement.

We recognize and acknowledge the historical exclusion of people of color, women, indigenious people, and gender expansive individuals. We are committed to examining our own biases and pursuing educational opportunities to expand our understanding and awareness about our inherent judgements and perceptions.

Initially, we see our activism in two parts:

  1. Increase our confidence and sensitivity in discussing inclusion, equity and representation, and incorporating an equity lens in the work we take on in our community and how we interact with each other.
  2. Research youth training programs that can be offered to our high school community to expand the inclusion and equity conversation beyond just the influence of the Youth Igniting Change Club.

We also commit to using our media communications as an opportunity to raise awareness to improve inclusion and equity across issues and platforms in our community.

– GLOSSARY OF TERMS –

Adverse Impacts: refers to practices or policies that appear neutral but have a discriminatory effect on a protected group. Source: Office of Equity and Human Rights (OEHR)

Civil Rights Title VI: refers to Federal law. No person in the United States, on the grounds of Race, Color, or National Origin, shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination under any program, service, or activity of a public entity, like the City of Portland, that receives federal assistance.

Communities of Color: is a term used primarily in the United States to describe communities of people who are not identified as White, emphasizing common experiences of racism. Source: OEHR

Discrimination: refers to practices or policies that may be considered discriminatory and illegal if they have a disproportionate “adverse impact” on persons in a protected class. Source: OEHR

Disparate Impacts: refers to practices or policies that may be considered discriminatory and illegal if they have a disproportionate “adverse impact” on persons in a protected class. Source: OEHR

Diversity: includes all the ways in which people differ, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from one another. Source: UC Berkeley Center for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity

Ethnicity: a category of people who identify with each other based on common language, ancestral, social, cultural, or national experiences. Source: Oxford English Dictionary

Equity: When one’s identity cannot predict the outcome. Source: OEHR

Race: a non-scientific classification of human beings created by Europeans (Whites) which assigns human worth and social status for the purpose of establishing and maintaining privilege and power.Source: adapted from Ronald Chisom and Michael Washington, Undoing Racism: A Philosophy of International Social Change

Racial Disparity: A significant difference in conditions between a racial group and the White population that is avoidable and unjust. For example, African-Americans are underrepresented in City of Portland management positions when compared to the percentage of African-Americans in the general population or the representation of Whites in management positions. Source: OEHR

Racial Equity: when race does not determine or predict the distribution of resources, opportunities, and burdens for group members in society. Source: OEHR

Racial Equity Framework: An understanding of the root causes of racial disparities, an analysis of the structures that perpetuate these disparities, and the ability to deploy critical strategies to undoing those structures (i.e. community self-determination, shifting power, etc…) in order to replace them with structures that produce equitable outcomes. Source: OEHR