Multnomah County unveils new tool to help promote equitable policies and practices

November 8, 2012

At the 19th Annual Northwest Public Employee Diversity Conference on Oct. 30, the county's Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) teamed up with the Chair's Office  to unveil a new tool to assist public agencies in examining how their policies and practices support equity.

The tool, which is called the Equity and Empowerment Lens , is a set of materials that focus on racial justice and present a series of questions and actions to help organizations shift cultural norms.

An earlier version of the lens was created and piloted by the Multnomah County Health Department last year. And as a result of its implementation, the health department decided to fund an aggressive breast-feeding promotion program for African-American mothers in our community.

In an effort to further reduce disparities often experienced by communities of color, immigrants and refugees living in our region, the county will continue to improve the way we deliver services by applying this lens across our organization.

The Equity and Empowerment Len can be viewed in its entirety here and is available to any organization interested in making equitable change.