We are racially just: Our King County values at work
A message from King County’s Learning & Development team To reach our True North – a welcoming community where every person can thrive – we must achieve racial justice. “We Are Racially Just” is a core value of King County. Through personal testimonies from King County employees, the We Are Racially Just: Our King County Values at Work eLearning course explores what it means to be racially just and helps to familiarize employees with King County’s Pro-Equity and Anti-Racist actions and identify behaviors that can support these actions at work. This training… Read More
Executive Constantine proclaims 2023 Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month
Sept. 15 is the starting point for Latinx Heritage Month and King County, Executive Dow Constantine has declared Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 as Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month in King County. The month is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the cultural, educational, economic, and political influences and contributions of Latinx residents. “I urge all residents to join in this community celebration,” he said. Read the full proclamation in English here, and in Spanish here.
King County launches Determinants of Equity data tool
King County has a new tool to help us better understand disparities in our communities as we work to advance equity and social justice goals. As part of our work to become a welcoming community where every person can thrive, King County has identified 15 determinants of equity. We have also identified a set of indicators help us better understand where inequities exist and which groups experience the most severe inequities for each of the 15 areas. The Determinants of Equity tool provides data and information to help employees and community users understand these equity conditions… Read More
Reminder of Racially Just training for all Executive branch employees
King County has launched a new training, We Are Racially Just: Our King County Values at Work, to help ensure that we all understand what it means to be racially just and what we can do in our own work to advance racial justice at King County. “Racial justice necessitates breaking with the status quo, disrupting business as usual, and approaching our work differently,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said. “It can be hard work and it can be uncomfortable, but in order to make progress we must lean into one of… Read More
Finding hope and raising awareness during National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
This September, as we recognize National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, we are reminded that we can all provide hope and support to those who are struggling. Too many people experience suicidal crisis or mental health-related distress without the support and care they need. The COVID-19 pandemic added to our anxieties and challenges, putting further stress on people’s mental health and wellness. We know that every year thousands of individuals die by suicide, leaving behind their friends and family members suffering a tragic loss. When we lose someone to suicide, it has a deep and… Read More
Growing people power rooted in community love
From the American Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pasifika Affinity Group “King County is centering people and their experiences to help inform what shapes our strategies, which shape our policies, funding, procurements, and allows true impact in communities being able to create their own resource building,” Amy Pak (she/her) says. “We have incredible leaders. There’s so much knowledge, skill, and power within the community.” Inaccessible, exclusionary practices and a history of systemic racism and inequity obstruct the pathways for grassroots, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), immigrant and refugee communities to access needed services…. Read More
New Racially Just training for all Executive branch employees
Dear fellow King County employee, One of our core values is “We are racially just.” This means that we work purposefully and intentionally against racism and discrimination, and toward equity for all by building anti-racist and pro-equity approaches into our work, our policies, our budgeting, and our trainings. It means that we make racial justice a central part of how we work and act as King County employees. That is why we have launched a new training: We Are Racially Just: Our King County Values at Work. This training will help to… Read More
King County makes historic investment to tackle Racism as a Public Health Crisis with $25 million in grants to more than 120 small businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations
King County Executive Dow Constantine and fellow co-chairs of the Gathering Collaborative, Dr. Ben Danielson and Abigail Echo-Hawk, announced $25 million in grants awarded to 123 nonprofits, community organizations, and small businesses to advance the work of addressing racism as a public health crisis in the region. Since March 2022, King County and the co-chairs have met weekly with the Gathering Collaborative, a group of diverse and trusted community members, to co-create the grant program. The Collaborative is the result of reimagining a different grants process in partnership with Black and Indigenous communities, and to… Read More
Employee Engagement for the Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan starts soon
Employees who opted in to Identity-Based Affinity Spaces should have received a calendar invite for their Affinity Space’s first meeting, which are scheduled sometime between July 31 and Aug. 10. Please check your email to ensure you have received this calendar invite. Effectively engaging King County employees is a key part of refreshing the Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan. Earlier this year, employees opted in to participate in Identity-Based Affinity Spaces, one of the ways the Refresh project will engage with employees. In these meetings, employees will provide information and… Read More
New program bridges gaps to meet the health and wellness needs of King County’s veterans
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections Many of America’s veterans, servicemembers, and their family members face challenges in accessing healthcare and wellness supports. Often times, challenges arise due to gaps in eligibility for health coverage, difficulties navigating large healthcare systems such as the VA, and the complexities in applying for and receiving disability benefits. Since 2005, the King County Veterans Program (KCVP), the nation’s strongest local veterans program, has supported King County veterans, servicemembers, and their families through a range of financial assistance, employment and job training supports, housing resources, mental health counseling, and social engagement… Read More
Employee News 