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State Office of Racial Equity outlines mission, data work and warns federal actions could chill equity work
Summary
Susana Davis, executive director of Vermont's Office of Racial Equity, briefed the Senate Judiciary Committee on the office’s vision, values and a new racial justice statistics division, and warned that federal executive actions and funding conditions could chill state and local equity efforts.
Susana Davis, executive director of the Office of Racial Equity, told the Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee on Jan. 22 that the office was created by the Legislature in 2018 and now includes a division dedicated to racial-justice statistics.
"We envision a Vermont that treats its staff, contractor, vendors, and partners equitably throughout their tenure," Davis said, describing the office’s three-part vision for equitable employment, service delivery and systems change.
The nut graf: Davis told senators the office provides advice to state policymakers, pursues structural solutions rather than transactional fixes, and now houses a three-person division that collects and analyzes justice-related data she said will be useful to this committee.
Davis and a colleague described the office’s values: process equity, transformative change and structural solutions for structural problems. She said the office takes a broad approach to justice statistics and often connects justice outcomes to upstream factors such as housing and early-childhood programs.
During questioning, committee members asked how federal policy might affect the office’s work. Davis warned that federal actions and conditions attached to federal funding could produce a "chilling effect" that discourages municipalities and nonprofits from pursuing equity and inclusion work. She also highlighted how rhetoric and shifting terminology can be used to oppose equity programs.
Davis encouraged the committee to send bills to the office for review and said the office is available to provide legislative input. She offered to share the office’s recent regional justice statistics report and to return to provide a summary for the committee.
Ending: The committee accepted the offer; staff said the office will provide the requested report and follow-up as requested by senators.
