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Black Evanston Employees’ Racial Equity Concerns Lead To City Roadmap

EVANSTON, IL — Five weeks after a group of Black city employees in Evanston released an open letter and proposed action plan for racial change in the city, city officials issued an initial roadmap in response.

The City of Evanston Black Employee Action Group grew out of a meeting this summer of about 30 Black staff of various city departments who identified systemic racial issues rooted in the workplace culture, according to their letter to senior staff, the mayor and City Council.

“Since that August meeting, more people have come forward from other departments to share their stories, many of whom are terrified about speaking up,” it said. “Frankly put, the City of Evanston has a problem with presenting an equitable workplace for marginalized employees and we are in agreement that this discrepancy needs to be addressed and corrected.”

The group’s 39-page report contains accounts of racist tropes, discipline and hiring practices, a lack of cultural awareness, transparency and upward mobility, microaggressions, an inequitable workload, pay disparity and human resource concerns.

Describing itself as a leaderless collective, the group of employees requested whistleblower protection, citing reports some members received rude comments, accusatory emails or were cornered by supervisors after the initial meeting.

“As we have all learned through history, speaking up is usually the only way to force and demand change. Many employees that took part in the development of this letter and plan did so because it was necessary, however a fear of retaliation and targeting exists for all of us,” it said.

According to the report, at least seven Black departments heads have left the city under circumstances affecting them, with several filing lawsuits alleging discrimination.

“Countless more former [City of Evanston] Black employees who were not department heads have taken their talents elsewhere for a variety of reasons, including the racist work environment,” it said.

“Conversely, very few White department heads, particularly males, are forced out despite there being widespread knowledge and complaints of issues surrounding them, including ineptitude, inappropriate behavior, racist actions/remarks, lack of experience, and lack of education,” the report said. “The existing city manager does not possess the qualifications, education, or experience for his current role; however, a former Black deputy city manager possessed all the required qualifications, experience, and education but was passed over multiple times.”

The employees proposed a 20-point action plan, which included calls for outside agencies to review human resources policies, an overhaul of diversity equity and inclusion training, a pay equity ordinance, standardized training, a formal process for filing and tracking complaints, the implementation of an affirmative action plan and more.

City Manager Luke Stowe acknowledged the report at the Nov. 14 City Council meeting.

“The report contains troubling, disturbing concerns raised by our staff. The City Council, myself, senior staff, are taking the report very seriously,” Stowe announced at the start of the meeting. “There’s already been a number of conversations and meetings with City Council, senior staff, HR, outside experts and I’ve reached out to the group as well on multiple occasions.”

The city manager said staff planned to issue a roadmap addressing the report and its recommendations by the end of last month.

“We want to move quickly, but we also want to move thoughtfully and get this right,” he said. “We look forward to working with the group as we move forward together.”

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Community Alliance for a Better Government President Lesley Williams spoke on behalf of the group of employees.

“They document racial disparities in pay, promotion and discipline, cases of Black employees who were denied job opportunities only to see less qualifies whites given them, unequal work assignment and retaliation against Black employees who complain of unfair treatment, and until today we have not heard any response from the city of Evanston,” Williams said.

The group, in a statement read by Williams, asked city officials to “acknowledge, address and repair the social harms that have been inflicted on Black employees internally.”

“This should not be a difficult ask. Action item No. 20 is to listen. They have told you exactly what is needed. Simply implement that very reasonable action plan that the employees have provided to you —not an action plan that you develop, “Williams said. “Black employees are no longer interested in the city of Evanston figuring things out, as history has shown us that that does not work well. You do this by allocating funding in the current budget toward implementing the racial action change plan.”

Lesley Williams, president of the Community Alliance for a Better Government, read a statement on behalf of the City of Evanston Black Employee Action Group at the Nov. 14 City Council meeting.(City of Evanston/via video)

On Tuesday, city officials announced a 60-day roadmap with initial steps in response to the issues and concerns raised by the employees.

Staff are “committed to working thoughtfully and expeditiously to address the issues and 20 recommendations presented in the employee report, with the goal of implementing policies, procedures, and accountability measures that create an equitable work climate in all City departments,” according to a release from the city manager’s office.

Completed so far: a staff request to allocate $200,000 to the budget for training, consulting and related items, several internal meetings between Stowe and human resources staff, work with staff of the Evanston YWCA Equity Institute to develop the plan, scheduled Beyond Diversity training for senior staff for later this month and established a new email account for staff to report workplace concerns to the city manager and corporation counsel.

According to the roadmap, which is posted on the city’s website along with the full report from the employee group, an initial meeting was convened between Stowe, 2nd Ward Ald. Krissie Harris and the employee group to discuss the report, recommendations and the city’s roadmap on Nov. 29.

While acknowledging that its roadmap may shift based on further feedback from, staff, elected officials or others, city officials laid out the following initial 20 steps to take place in December and January:

The City will conduct additional meetings with representatives from the employee group to gather more information, identify the highest priorities, establish achievable timelines, and schedule regular meetings with the employee group’s implementation committee.

In December, we will invite all City staff to attend listening sessions led by a third-party consultant who will gather concerns, feedback, and complaints. Listening sessions will include small group discussions and one-on-one sessions with management and non-management options.

A public web page will be launched to provide progress updates on the various initiatives and projects related to the report.

A citywide anonymous employee satisfaction survey will be conducted.

The City will provide a public update on the status of the Lakefront Report recommendations and completed steps.

A page on the City’s intranet will be posted with employee training and professional development opportunities.

The second round of listening sessions will commence in January/February, including the city manager meeting with groups, individuals, and the consultant.

Additional employee benefits such as tuition reimbursement, enhanced wellness programs, and career planning will be researched and explored.

Staff will research the creation of an internal Evanston Leadership Academy for new and aspiring leaders in the organization.

An outside HR consultant(s) will be identified and hired to review HR and City policies, procedures, and practices.

An outside Racial Equity and Anti-Oppression consultant(s) will be identified and hired to provide training, guidance, and best practices.

The City will explore the development of affinity groups in addition to the listening sessions.

The City’s current Racial Equity and anti-oppression training/curriculum will be revamped and include all City staff.

An outside law firm will be identified and hired to assist in related legal matters.

The Manager of Equity & Organizational Performance staff position will be posted to recruit candidates and begin the interview process.

The Recruitment & Retention Specialist staff position will be posted, and candidate recruitment will begin (pending City Council approval on 12/12).

City leadership will engage with the Equity & Empowerment Commission and the City’s internal REDI (Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) Committee on report recommendations.

The new cohort of the City’s internal REDI Committee will launch in early 2023 to coincide with hiring the Manager of Equity & Organizational Performance.

Staff will research the Government Alliance on Race Equity (GARE) framework and toolkits for potential implementation.

Staff and outside consultants will analyze current workforce demographics (race, gender, management, frontline staff, tenure, etc.), compensation, and related issues.

“The issues raised are core to the City’s mission and values, and we have a responsibility to resolve them in order to be the organization our community expects and deserves,” Stowe said in a statement announcing the road map. “We are committed to ensuring an inclusive, equitable, and healthy work environment for all of our employees.”

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