10d. Resolution

3812 Equity Policy Directive

Item Number:        10d_reso 
Meeting Date:     March 28, 2023


1                                  PORT OF SEATTLE 
2                                RESOLUTION NO. 3812
3
4          A RESOLUTION of the Port of Seattle Commission establishing an Equity
5                             Directive to guide the integration of equity, diversity,
6                             inclusion, and belonging into the Port’s practices and
7                             policies, and to move our work beyond compliance and
8                             mandates towards long-term commitment and sustainable
9                             systems change.
10
11          WHEREAS, the voters of King County authorized and approved the formation of a port
12   district coterminous with King County to be known as the Port of Seattle in a special election on
13   September 5, 1911; and
14
15          WHEREAS, the mission of the Port of Seattle is to promote economic opportunities and
16   quality of life in the region which includes building an inclusive economy and public agency that
17   values and advances equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging; and 
18
19          WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle Commission adopted Order No. 2018-06 on May 8, 2018,
20   which created an equity pilot program which recognized equity as critical to the Port’s core values
21   as an organization and called for the creation of an Equity Policy Directive; and
22
23          WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle Commission adopted Motion 2020-19 on October 13,
24   2020, which directed the Executive Director to examine Port operations and policies for sources
25   of racial bias and discrimination and to develop programs and policies to eliminate inequity in all
26   aspects of the organization; and
27
28          WHEREAS, the Port’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion was created in 2019,
29   the first of its kind for a port nationally, with a mission to build capacity across the organization
30   to address institutional oppression and to transform Port policies, practices, and processes; and
31
32          WHEREAS, Order 2018-06 and Motion 2020-19 have both informed development of an
33   Equity Policy Directive that would apply Portwide and incorporate equity into the Port’s 
34   structural, operational, and external practices, and would help to achieve the Century Agenda
35   goal of becoming a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization; and
36
37          WHEREAS, environmental justice is a distinct and critical component of equity, the
38   Port’s long history of and ongoing engagement with communities along the Duwamish, Elliott
39   Bay, and surrounding the airport will be vital to deepening the Port’s expertise on environmental
40   justice as directed by the Equity Policy Directive; and
41

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        42          WHEREAS, the Port of Seattle has continuously worked to put our equity values into
43   action by re-building the Port into a national leader and as an inclusive employer where
44   employees feel they belong and are valued; and by pro-actively working to ensure our programs,
45   policies, and initiatives incorporate equity best practices to the greatest extent possible in order
46   to reach our anti-racist goals.
47
48          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Port of Seattle Commission as
49   follows:
50
51          SECTION 1.  The Equity Policy Directive as shown in the attached Exhibit A is hereby
52   established with the following goals: 
53
54   Goal 1: Identifying and eliminating disparities in access to working with and for the Port of Seattle. 
55
56   Goal 2: Ensuring that all internal and external initiatives, programs, structures, and practices have
57   Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at their core. 
58
59   Goal 3: Developing leadership accountability for reaching Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and
60   Belonging goals in our work across the Port and in port-related industries.
61
62   Goal 4: Deepening our collective analysis of anti-Black racism in order to improve our policies,
63   programming, and practices to positively impact Black employees and community members.
64
65   Goal 5: Strengthening our community partnerships in Port-related work through authentic
66   relationship building and engagement with Port-impacted communities. 
67
68   Goal 6: Proactively seeking community input to inform and influence decision-making related to
69   Port of Seattle projects, programs, and initiatives.
70
71   Goal 7: Working to infuse recommendations from the Port’s Equity Assessment and Women of
72   Color Assessment and any future assessments into practice and policy as well as working towards
73   culture and system shifts to strengthen equity at the Port of Seattle.
74
75          SECTION 2.  The Policy Directive contained in Exhibit A and attached to this Resolution
76   shall be labeled and catalogued as appropriate, together with other Commission Policy Directives,
77   and shall be made readily available for use by Port staff and members of the public as a governance
78   document of the Port of Seattle.
79
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88

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        89          ADOPTED by the Port of Seattle Commission at a duly noticed public meeting thereof, 
90   held this ___ day of _________________ , 2023, and duly authenticated in open session by the
91   signatures of the commissioners voting in favor thereof and the seal of the Commission. 
92
93
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96
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98
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100
101
102
103                                             Port of Seattle Commission














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        104                                   EXHIBIT A to Resolution 3812 – 
105 


106 
107 
108 
109                    Port of Seattle Commission 
110 
111                          Equity Policy Directive 

112 

113                                       As Adopted

114                                   XXXX XX, 2023 
115 










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        116    SECTION 1.  Purpose. 
117 
118    The Port of Seattle is committed to being a regional and national leader in equity and social
119    justice. 
120 
121    At the Port of Seattle, we center racial equity because of the role that government, as an
122    institution, has and continues to have in perpetuating racial inequities. Racial oppression is
123    foundational to our country's origins; it forms the language and structure for all types of
124    discrimination. Centering racial equity at the Port of Seattle sets a specific, strategic focus that
125    will allow us to develop structural approaches to address all forms of oppression and to advance
126    our inclusion and belonging values as a public agency. 
127 
128    Our vision is to develop a Port that mirrors — throughout its breadth of operations and services
129    and within its leadership structure — the diversity of our community, instills principles of equity
130    in its culture, and ensures a fair and intentional distribution of opportunities with the goal of
131    expanding economic development and quality of life for all. 
132 
133    The purpose of this policy directive is to guide the integration of equity, diversity, inclusion, and
134    belonging into the Port’s practices and policies, and to move our work beyond compliance and
135    mandates towards long-term commitment and sustainable systems change. The Port has already
136    taken the critical step of recognizing the need to center equity in the work of the organization.
137    The Port of Seattle Commission has centered equity in several ways, such as: adding a goal to
138    become a model for equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging to the Century Agenda; creating
139    the first in the nation Port Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (OEDI); conducting a Port
140    Policing Equity Assessment; adopting the Duwamish Valley Community Benefits Commitment
141    Policy Directive; recognizing Juneteenth as a Port-paid holiday; and passing the 2020 Racial Bias
142    and Equity Motion. 
143 
144    To further this work, this directive will advance equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging by: 
145        A.  Identifying and eliminating disparities in access to working with and for the Port of
146            Seattle. 
147        B.  Ensuring that all internal and external initiatives, programs, structures, and practices
148            have Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at their core. 
149        C.  Developing leadership accountability for reaching Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and
150            Belonging goals in our work across the Port and in port-related industries. 
151        D.  Deepening our collective analysis of anti-Black racism in order to improve our policies,
152            programming, and practices to positively impact Black employees and community
153            members. 
154        E.  Strengthening our community partnerships in Port-related work through authentic
155            relationship building and engagement with Port-impacted communities. 
156        F.  Proactively seeking community input to inform and influence decision-making related to
157            Port of Seattle projects, programs, and initiatives. 
158 
159 

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        160        G.  Working to infuse recommendations from the Port’s Equity Assessment and Women of
161            Color Assessment and any future assessments into practice and policy as well as working
162            towards culture and system shifts to strengthen equity at the Port of Seattle. 
163 
164    SECTION 2.  Definitions. 
165 
166    When used in this policy directive, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given
167    below, unless the context in which they are included clearly indicates otherwise: 
168 
169    “Anti-Black Racism” means policies and practices rooted in institutions and systems that
170    reinforce beliefs, attitudes, prejudice, stereotyping, and/or discrimination towards Black people.
171    While many racial and ethnic groups experience racism or prejudice, the term anti-Black racism
172    underscores the unique experiences of racism for Black people. 
173 
174    “Belonging” means having a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in the design of
175    initiatives, programs, and team/cultural norms. At its core, belonging is not just about inclusion,
176    but also about sharing power, access, and opportunities among all groups and individuals within
177    an organization. 
178 
179    "Business Planning Efforts" mean Port-wide strategic planning efforts, executed on a quarterly
180    cadence by all divisions and Centers of Expertise across the organization. Quarterly efforts are as
181    follows: Q1 - Analysis of prior year's performance; Q2 - Strategic Business; Q3 - Budget
182    development; and Q4 - Finalizing Budget, Business Plans and goals for the following year.
183 
184    “Century Agenda” means the Port’s directional compass that guides the vision of the entire
185    organization. 
186 
187    “Change Team” means a Port-wide cohort of employees from all departments and lines of
188    business, working to engage all levels of the Port in using a racial equity framework in their daily
189    work, decisions, programming, and policies. 
190 
191    “Department” means any Port of Seattle organizational structure that has a director that reports
192    to a Managing Director who serves on the Executive Leadership Team. 
193 
194    “Economic Development Programs” means occupational job training and placement, job
195    advancement  and  job  retention,  pre-apprenticeship  training,  or  occupational  education
196    programs associated with port tenants, customers; local economic development programs
197    related to port tenants or port-related economic activities that are sponsored by a port and
198    operated by a nonprofit, private, or public entity; small business development; and other
199    programs as authorized by RCW 53.08.245. 
200 
201 
202 
203 

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        204 
205    “Equity” means fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people while
206    striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of historically
207    oppressed communities. Improving equity involves increasing justice and fairness within the
208    procedures and processes of institutions or systems and a fair, intentional distribution of
209    resources. 
210 
211    “EDI” means equity, diversity, and inclusion. “Equity, diversity, and inclusion” and “equity,
212    diversity, inclusion, and belonging” will be used interchangeably to reflect the growing language
213    of equity-focused work to create a culture and environment of belonging. 
214 
215    “Equity Directive Implementation Guide” means the reference guide developed to capture the
216    Port’s emerging equity protocols and processes to operationalize equity motions and directives
217    passed by the Commission. As a guide, it is intended to provide a road map on internal systems
218    changes led by OEDI. The Equity Directive Implementation Guide will be updated at the direction
219    of the Senior Director of OEDI. Updates will be developed in consultation with Change Team
220    members, the Executive Director, Executive Leadership Team (ELT), and the Commission
221    committee responsible for oversight of OEDI. 
222 
223    “Environmental Justice” is the principle that all people and communities have a right to a healthy
224    environment and a right to equal protection and equal enforcement of environmental laws and
225    regulations, and recognizes that vulnerable communities are subjected to disproportionate
226    burdens of pollution. 
227 
228    “Equity in Budgeting” is the integration of an equity lens into the budgeting process and decision-
229    making, including policies, practices, programs, and ultimately, departmental budgets, to
230    develop strategies and actions that reduce inequities, with a particular focus on racial inequities. 
231 
232    “Executive Director’s Protocol on Port-wide Goal Establishment and Reporting” refers to
233    protocols issued by the Executive Director’s Office which provide guidance and direction on how
234    all new goals, objectives and reporting requirements that impact a majority of divisions, DOEs or
235    staff will be reviewed and adopted by the Executive Director and the ELT. 
236 
237    "Port Assessments” is in reference to two prior Port assessments: the Equity Assessment and the
238    Women of Color Assessment. In 2021, these two organizational assessments surveyed employee
239    perceptions of the state of equity and conditions for women of color at the Port of Seattle. The
240    findings of each report identify issues and contain recommendations that will move the Port
241    towards its Century Agenda goals and address systemic and/or cultural issues. 
242 
243    “Port-impacted communities” includes both internal and external stakeholders impacted by Port
244    activities. Internal stakeholders include employees, and external stakeholders include small
245    businesses, vendors, contractors, airport workers, and vulnerable communities impacted by
246    port-related activities. 
247 

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        248    “Port-related industries” means aviation, maritime, construction trades, and green career
249    industries. 
250 
251    “Social Justice” means equal rights and equitable opportunities for all. 
252 
253    “Women or Minority-Owned Business” (WMBE) means a business that is at least 51 percent
254    owned and controlled by women and/or minority (including, but not limited to African
255    Americans, Native Americans, Asians, and Latino) group members. 
256 
257    “Workforce Development” means the composite of strategies and services, including career
258    connected learning, K-12 education, worker and employer training and job matching that help
259    connect and retain workers to careers within the Port and port-related economic activities, and
260    that help ensure area businesses have access to the skilled workforce they need to thrive and
261    grow. RCW 53.08.245(1) provides that “[i]t shall be in the public purpose for all port districts to
262    engage in economic development programs.” RCW 53.08.245(2)(a) provides that such economic
263    development  programs  may  include  “[o]occupational  job  training  and  placement,  job
264    advancement  and  job  retention,  pre-apprenticeship  training,  or  occupational  education
265    programs associated with port tenants, customers, and local economic development related to
266    port tenants or port-related economic activities that are sponsored by a port and operated by a
267    nonprofit, private, or public entity.” 
268 
269    SECTION 3.    Scope and Applicability. 
270 
271    This directive pertains to all Port of Seattle employees and related business units. Activities to
272    implement this directive must be feasible, under the Port’s legal authority, and within the Port’s
273    policies. Port contractors are outside the scope of this policy directive. 
274 
275    SECTION 4.    Responsibilities. 
276 
277    The Executive Director, or delegate, shall engage in the following activities in pursuit of this policy
278    directive: 
279 
280        1.  Develop and implement initiatives, programs, practices, and policies to foster and grow
281            a culture of belonging and inclusion within the Port consistent with this policy directive,
282            including but not limited to: contracting, business opportunities for women or minority-
283            owned businesses, workforce development, creating and supporting internal pathways
284            for employees of color and women to advance within the organization to be successful
285            in their work, and other relevant Port directives and activities. 
286               a.  For additional guidance on implementation of this directive, the Port shall refer
287                   to the Equity Policy Directive Implementation Guide and/or consult with OEDI. 
288 
289        2.  Use the Port's influence to advance equity as part of the Port’s mission to promote
290            economic development and enhance quality of life via programs and strategies across
291            King County and the region. 

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        292 
293    SECTION 5.    Policy. 
294 
295    As part of the Port’s comprehensive Century Agenda Strategic Plan, the Port will strive to
296    “Become a Model for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion.” In doing so, the Port will ensure that internal
297    and external initiatives, programs, structures, and practices will be implemented using an equity
298    lens. To achieve this Century Agenda goal, the Executive Director, or designee, shall implement
299    the following structural, operational, and external-facing policies, and develop the Port’s
300    environmental justice policies: 
301 
302    A.  Structural 
303 
304        1.  OEDI shall be a permanent department at the Port of Seattle and reside within
305            Corporate/Central Services. 
306               a. The leader of OEDI shall serve on the Port’s Executive Leadership Team. 
307               b.  The mission of OEDI shall be to work with departments to lead and/or support
308                   the Port’s efforts to advance equity and inclusion across the Port. 
309 
310        2.  The Executive Director, or delegate, shall establish and empower a permanent internal
311            Change Team at the Port. The Change Team shall be empowered to collaborate with
312            managers, directors, senior leadership, and other stakeholders to integrate equity and
313            anti-racism practices and advance Port and department EDI goals 
314        3.  Change Team activities and methods will be reviewed and approved by the Executive
315            Director or their delegate. 
316        4.  In cases where these activities or methods would impact the majority of divisions,
317            departments, or staff, the Change Team or OEDI shall submit plans for these efforts to
318            the Executive Director, delegate, and ELT for review and approval prior to adoption. 
319 
320    B.  Operational 
321 
322        1.  As part of annual business planning efforts, each Port department shall set its own
323            annual equity, diversity, and inclusion goals, and work towards achieving these goals.
324            The Executive Director, or delegate, shall designate Port staff to assist departments in
325            the creation and revision of their EDI goals. Departmental EDI goals shall be informed by
326            broad engagement of employees across the department, including Port assessments. 
327               a.  Any equity goal set for a department shall be developed collaboratively with the
328                   respective manager or director of that department and reviewed during the
329                   business planning period prior to adoption and implementation. 
330               b.  Any proposed new goals or reporting requirements shall be brought to regularly
331                   scheduled business planning meetings, events, or efforts (annually in Q2), to be
332                   included  into  the  standard  business  planning  process  conducted  by  all
333                   departments. 
334               c.  Any goal creation by the ED, delegate or Change Team member shall follow the
335                   Executive Director’s Protocol on Port-wide Goal Establishment and Reporting.

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        336        2.  Progress towards setting and achieving departmental equity goals shall be considered in
337            the annual performance reviews of the Executive Director and members of the ELT. 
338        3.  The Port shall use an equity in budgeting toolkit, or equivalent mechanism, in the
339            business planning and budgeting process for every department. 
340        4.  The Executive Director, or a delegate, shall: 
341               a.  Develop a definition for “equity-related resources” The proposed definition shall
342                   be reviewed by Commissioner Mohamed, Commissioner Cho, and the Equity and
343                   Workforce Development Committee. 
344               b.  Calculate and summarize all such equity-related resources in the 2019-2022 Port
345                   budgets. These resources shall be calculated as a percent of the total operating
346                   budget. 
347               c.   Propose a structure for communicating and executing a pilot for “equity-related
348                   resources” in the 2024 budget to Commissioner Mohamed, Commissioner Cho,
349                   and the Equity and Workforce Development Committee before the adoption of
350                   the 2024 budget. The results of this pilot shall be considered for further action. 
351        5.  All Port departments shall utilize trainings and tools created by the Port’s Change Team
352            committees and OEDI to the greatest extent feasible to incorporate equity into their
353            respective programming and strategic planning. 
354               a.  Change Team members shall work with their manager and respective ELT
355                   members to create alignment between training opportunities, tools, and new
356                   programs with existing business and strategic planning processes and protocols
357                   to the greatest extent possible. 
358        6.  OEDI shall support the growth of equity culture and practice among Port employees
359            through training and programming to deepen Port staff understanding, analysis and
360            awareness of systemic and institutionalized racism and anti-Black racism. 
361               a. These trainings shall consist, at a minimum, of a mandatory annual racial equity
362                   training for all Port employees. 
363               b.  Individuals in leadership or supervisory roles shall undertake at least one
364                   training, orientation, or other learning opportunity to advance a culture of
365                   belonging and inclusion per year in addition to the mandatory annual equity
366                   training requirement. 
367 
368    C.  External 
369 
370        1.  The Port, with the approval of the Executive Director and Commission President, will
371            convene cohorts of community advisors as needed to provide opportunities for dialogue
372            to increase equity in Port policies, programs, and initiatives that directly affect advisors’
373            communities. 
374               a.  External  Relations  and  OEDI  shall  increase  opportunities  for  community
375                   participation by including language access plans and/or stipends for community
376                   advisory activities as appropriate. 

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        377               b.  These advisors shall reflect the interests of communities most directly affected
378                   by Port operations and programs and shall include representatives from these
379                   Port-impacted communities. 
380        2.  The Executive Director and the ELT, with support from OEDI, shall identify programs that
381            will undergo a closer review and analysis in order to advance Century Agenda equity
382            goals. 
383        3.  The Port shall pursue opportunities and partnerships to expand its portfolio of
384            community-based equity programs and investments that support quality of life,
385            workforce development, and/or economic development enhancements. 
386        4.  The Port shall pursue opportunities to partner with other governments to advance
387            equity initiatives. In particular, the Port shall seek opportunities to establish a leadership
388            role in the equity space in our relationships with other ports. This may include sharing
389            lessons learned, equity best practices, and other efforts. 
390 
391    D.  Environmental Justice 
392    1. To develop and implement expertise in environmental justice, the Executive Director and OEDI
393    shall: 
394    Coordinate environmental justice efforts between the Port of Seattle Commission, External
395    Relations, Environment and Sustainability staff, and various Port environmental programs. 
396    Convene a stakeholder group including representatives of near-Port communities to discuss
397    environmental justice principles. 
398    Develop a draft set of environmental justice principles informed by this engagement. 
399    Deliver an update to the Commission no later than Q1 of 2024 on the Port’s environmental justice
400    work. 
401 
402    SECTION 6.  Program Evaluation. 
403 
404    The Executive Director, or a delegate, shall monitor and evaluate progress towards departmental
405    equity goals, equity objectives, and areas of emphasis outlined in the Port’s Century Agenda
406    Strategic Plan and resultant from prior Port assessments. This monitoring and evaluation shall
407    include but not be limited to the following: 
408        1.  In alignment with the Port’s business planning, a report to the Commission on an annual
409            basis, at a minimum including: 
410               a.  A summary of each department’s equity goals and progress made towards
411                   achieving these equity goals. 
412               b.  Identification of the most significant emergent and/or ongoing barriers Port
413                   employees face in fairly accessing resources and opportunities at the Port as
414                   determined via OEDI and/or HR engagement. 
415               c.  Identification of continuous process improvement opportunities in contracting
416                   with Community Based Organizations. This identification shall be informed by
417                   engagement  with  community-based  organizations,  including  at  least  one
418                   listening session conducted by OEDI and/or External Relations. 
419 
420 

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        421        2.  Regular Port-wide data-gathering regarding progress towards equity outcomes and
422            implementing the equity practices identified in Port assessments. 
423               a.  Any data-gathering or reporting shall follow the Executive Director’s Protocol on
424                   Port-wide Goal Establishment and Reporting. 
425               b.  Progress towards equity outcomes shall be measured by in-depth, qualitative
426                   assessments (similar to the 2021 Equity Assessment) every four years, as well as
427                   annual quantitative surveys of Port employee sentiment regarding equity
428                   progress. 
429               c.  The results of these annual equity surveys and assessments shall be made public. 
430               d.  Progress towards implementing equity practices shall be monitored by OEDI
431                   staff, who will gather information on the implementation of these practices
432                   across the Port. 
433        3.  Internal Audit shall conduct an audit of the policy requirements outlined in this directive
434            on a periodic basis. 
435               a.  Internal Audit shall present the results of this audit to the Audit Committee as
436                   well as the Commission Committee responsible for oversight of OEDI. 
437        4.  The Commission directs the Executive Director, or delegate, to review current and
438            proposed policies for equity impacts and to consult with the Commission to ensure
439            inclusive, open, and fair access by stakeholders in decision processes that impact
440            community. 
441 
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