Inclusive Auburn
Message from the Mayor
As public servants of the City of Auburn, each of us take great pride in the trust that we hold with each other, our residents, businesses and guests. Perhaps more than any other type of organization, we, as a municipality, hold the responsibility of ensuring that every member of our community is heard and has opportunities to participate and flourish in our city.
On July 15, 2019, the City Council soundly approved Resolution #5427 Inclusive Auburn Initiative to accomplish the following goals:
- Eliminate systemic causes of disparities, racial and otherwise, in the City of Auburn
- Promote inclusion and create opportunities for full participation for every resident and business in the City of Auburn
- Reduce, and eventually eliminate, disparities of outcomes in our community
Phase One of the Inclusive Auburn Initiative focused on providing professional development to the City’s senior leadership team and City Council. Department directors and Mayor Backus participated in a six-session Inclusive Auburn Initiative training designed to help us address systemic barriers and elevate opportunities within the City by interweaving equity and inclusion tools throughout our operations. During this phase, we will also be creating a City-wide Equity and Inclusion Team that can help support these efforts.
Phase Two of this crucial work involves professional development for managers and staff. This work included reaching out to staff for participation in both surveys and focus groups. The data collected will be central in ensuring that we are providing our team with the right training and solutions to reach our goals.
The work that we are doing will require us all to move out of our comfort zones and to view our world through a lens that may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable. We are all challenged to embrace that discomfort and to honor the experiences, perspectives, questions, and knowledge that we all bring to the table, knowing that what we begin in this year will have lasting impacts in our community and beyond.
Sincerely,
Mayor Nancy Backus