COMMISSION 
AGENDA MEMORANDUM                        Item No.          9b 
BRIEFING ITEM                            Date of Meeting       April 24, 2018 
DATE:     April 3, 2018 
TO:        Commissioners and Executive Director 
FROM:    Veronica Valdez, Commission Specialist 
SUBJECT:  Equity Briefing 
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 
The purpose of this memo is to provide an update on the Port's efforts to address equity issues.
At the Port, equity refers to equal economic, political and social rights and opportunities. The
Port is committed to becoming a more equitable, diverse and inclusive organization by building
awareness of the causes and impacts of institutional racism while evaluating policies and
procedures to address any institutional barriers that may exist. The Port of Seattle's goal is to
increase equity, diversity and inclusion in the work that we do. This goal applies to how we
identify and address priorities, navigate complex issues, engage employees and work with the
diverse communities we serve. 
BACKGROUND 
Our country has a history of programs and movements that have contributed to addressing
social equity such as access to quality jobs, affordable housing, education, public services, civil
rights, labor movement, healthcare, etc. Despite the various programs in place, deep historical
chasms based on race, class and education levels remain in our society. We see this in the
widening income inequality and systemic racism and bias that exist within our institutions
manifested, for example, by the disproportionate number of people of color who are
incarcerated and the distrust of the justice system which result in activist movements like Black
Lives Matter. 
Inequities hurt everybody, not just people in the lower socio-economic status. Regions and
countries with greater economic equality have more sustained and robust economic growth.
Everybody gains from creating a place where all people can lead better lives and contribute to
their communities (Benner and Pastor 2012). 



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COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. 9b                                  Page 2 of 5 
Meeting Date: April 24, 2018 
Although King County, as compared to the rest of the country, has overall better economic, 
health, and quality of life conditions and  the region benefits from world-class businesses and
institutions, these assets mask deep and persistent inequitiessometimes more pronounced 
than in the rest of the country. Comparing the 10 zip codes with the highest average household
incomes to the 10 zip codes with the lowest household incomes, there is a difference of more
than $100,000 within King County. In a similar comparison, life expectancy also varies by race
by up to 12 years (King County 2015). 
These gaps by race and place are a concern because they correspond to significant differences
in opportunity. Place and race matter in King County, and they are predictors of income and a
wide set of outcomes, including life expectancy and education (King County 2015). 
When King County looked at data across our communities, whether it is people's health, access
to housing and good paying jobs, graduation rates, incomes or incarcerations, disparities are
greatest when we look by race. The most persistent and detrimental disparities are starkest
when we look at race. By leading with racial justice, King County is committed to taking on the
root causes of our most challenging problems and to focus where we can have the biggest
impact and needs are greatest (King County 2015). 
Many low-income and communities of color in particular face barriers to well-paying jobs and
economic opportunity. For example, unemployment rates for Black/African American, Native
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Native American/Alaska Native residents have recently been
nearly double that of the unemployment rate for White residents (King County 2015). 
RACIAL EQUITY 
From the inception of our country, government at the local, regional, state, and federal levels
have played a role in creating and maintaining racial inequity, including everything from
determining who is a citizen, who can vote, who can own property, who is property, and where
one can live, to name but a few. Governmental laws, policies, and practices created a racial
hierarchy and determined, based on race, who benefits and who is burdened (The Local &
Regional Government Alliance on Race and Equity, September 2015). 
Current inequities are sustained by historical legacies, structures, and systems that repeat and
formalize  and  legalize  patterns  of  exclusion.  The  Civil  Rights  movement  was  led  by
communities, and government was frequently the target. One of the many successes of the
Civil Rights movement was making racial discrimination illegal. However, despite progress in
addressing explicit discrimination, racial inequities continue to be deep, pervasive, and
persistent across the country (The Local & Regional Government Alliance on Race and Equity,
September 2015). 


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COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. 9b                                  Page 3 of 5 
Meeting Date: April 24, 2018 
Racial Equity Toolkit 
Too often, policies and programs are developed and implemented without thoughtful
consideration of racial equity. When racial equity is not explicitly brought into operations and
decision-making, racial inequities are likely to be perpetuated. Racial equity tools are designed
to integrate explicit consideration of racial equity in decision analysis, policies, practices,
programs, and budgets. Use of a racial equity tool can help to develop strategies and actions
that reduce racial inequities and improve success for all. Routine use of a racial equity tool
explicitly integrates racial equity into governmental operations. 
Local and regional government jurisdictions are using racial equity tools. The City of Seattle's
Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI), established in 2004, started using its racial equity tool
during the budget process in 2007. The following year, the tool was expanded to be used in
policy and program decisions. And in 2015, an Executive Order was issued by the Mayor
directing expanded use of the racial equity tool, and requiring measurable outcomes and
greater accountability. In early 2008, King County executive Ron Sims launched the Equity and
Social Justice (ESJ) initiative to begin to use an equity lens in departments' policies and
decisions, organizational practices, and engagement with the community. In 2010, led by King
County executive Dow Constantine and the County Council, ESJ became part of the countywide
Strategic plan and adopted an ESJ ordinance. The ordinance reaffirmed the commitment to
create a more just organization and community by expanding access to "determinants of
equity" those social, physical, and economic conditions necessary for everyone to thrive. 
The Port has the ability to implement policy change at multiple levels and across multiple
sectors to drive larger systemic change to address historic inequities. Last year, the Port worked
with the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) to develop a racial equity tool. 
A racial equity tool: 
Proactively seeks to eliminate racial inequities and advance equity; 
Identifies clear goals, objectives and measurable outcomes; 
Engages community in decision-making processes; 
Identifies who will benefit or be burdened by a given decision, examines potential
unintended consequences of a decision, and develops strategies to advance racial
equity and mitigate unintended negative consequences; and, 
Develops mechanisms for successful implementation and evaluation of impacts early in
the process. 
A Racial Equity Tool is a series of questions: 
1.  Proposal: What is the policy, program, practice or budget decision under consideration?
What are the desired results and outcomes? 
2.  Data: What's the data? What does the data tell us? 
3.  Community engagement: How have impacted communities been engaged as part of the
planning process? Are there opportunities to expand engagement? 

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COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. 9b                                  Page 4 of 5 
Meeting Date: April 24, 2018 
4.  Analysis and strategies: Who will benefit from or be burdened by your proposal in
technical terms? What are the impacts to quality of life in the community? What are
your strategies for advancing racial equity or mitigating unintended consequences? 
5.  Implementation: What is your plan for implementation of an equity strategy as part of
the project? 
6.  Accountability and communication: How will you ensure accountability, communicate,
and evaluate results? 
PORT EQUITY EFFORTS 
Our region is undergoing tremendous growth and the Port of Seattle is committed to ensuring
the economic prosperity is shared by all communities in King County, regardless of race and
place. The Port strives to protect the rights and uphold equity for all King County residents and
provide fair and equal access to services, benefits and opportunities. 
In 2016, the Port strengthened its commitment to become an anti-racism organization that
courageously addresses obstacles to and opportunities for increasing equity in the agency's
policies, procedures and practices. The executive team participated in an institutional racism
training to recognize the negative impact of institutional and structural racism. By building
capacity to address racism, the Port will also improve its ability to recognize and address other
forms of discrimination. 
In 2017, the Port of Seattle was the first port to join GARE, a national network of governments
working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all. Across the country,
governmental jurisdictions are making a commitment to achieving racial equity, focusing on the
power and influence of their own institutions, and working in partnership with others. When
this occurs, significant leverage and expansion opportunities emerge, setting the stage for the
achievement of racial equity in our communities. GARE captures best practices and with a
network in 30 states and over 150 cities, they provide tools to put theory into action. The Port
is able to leverage these best practices in meeting the goal of being a more equitable, diverse
and inclusive organization. 
For many years the Port of Seattle has worked to leverage its resources and work efforts to
create opportunities for diverse communities, individuals and small and women and minorityowned
business enterprises. We are dedicated to eliminating bias in our hiring practices and 
promoting  better  access  to  jobs,  promotions  and  contracting   opportunities  for 
underrepresented populations including; women, people of color, immigrants and refugees and
those in economically distressed areas of our region; establishing policies that support family
wage jobs and benefits; and using our influence as an "Anchor Institution"1 through contracting

1
Anchor Institutions are universities, hospitals and other enduring organizations that play a vital role in their local
communities and economies. They tend to remain in their geographical settings, even as conditions change around
them. Therefore, they are vital assets to their neighborhoods, towns, cities, and regions. 

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COMMISSION AGENDA  Briefing Item No. 9b                                  Page 5 of 5 
Meeting Date: April 24, 2018 
and in the labor market to encourage other employers to do the same. In addition, the Port
supports entrepreneurship and helping small businesses grow. 
The Office of Social Responsibility directly engages with the immigrant, refugee and minority
communities to encourage participation in Port programs and affiliated industries. Our
Workforce Development team leads efforts to expand and sustain workforce development,
training, job and business opportunities for local communities in Port sectors. The Small
Business Program promotes Small and Women and Minority Business Enterprise opportunities
at the Port. Human Resources develop programs addressing representation, diversity and
inclusion  in  the  Port's  internal  workforce.  And  Public  Affairs  conduct  community  and
stakeholder outreach and hold events in the region's communities. 
In addition, the Commission chartered the Energy and Sustainability Committee on January 26,
2016, which established an equity work group tasked to develop recommendations to address
disproportionate environmental impact of Port operations on disadvantaged communities. One
of recommendations called for pilot projects to utilize the Sustainable Evaluation Framework
that includes areas that advance racial and social equity. 
In order to achieve our goal of becoming a more equitable, diverse and inclusive organization,
we must coordinate efforts across the Port that already addressing Equity, Diversity and
Inclusion. The Port is in the process of hiring an equity leader to plan, train employees, and
engage with the community. This work is important and complex. The Port of Seattle's
executive  leadership  recognizes  that  a  successful  Port-wide  effort  requires  expertise,
experience and a consistent method of practice across the Port.
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING 
(1)   Draft Motion to develop and implement an equity pilot program 
(2)   Presentation slides 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
November 28, 2017  The Commission was briefed on the budget which included a full-time
employee (FTE) request for an equity manager 
July, 12, 2017  The Commission was briefed on Commission 2018 Budget Priorities: Equity,
Priority Hire, Women Minority Business Enterprises (WMBE), and Quality Jobs 
July 20  24, 2017  The Commission was briefed on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion:
Developing a Port of Seattle Model of Practice 



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