Equity Action Team
The Equity Action Team (EAT) is the community surrounding the Equity Office. Anybody who wants can join the EAT, whether they are City staff, a member of a local community organization, or just an individual who cares about advancing racial equity. The current roster is over 200 members. Join the Team and find more information on the EAT Dashboard.
The EAT contains the individuals who organized and pushed for the creation of the Equity Office. Their first goal was helping the Office co-create the Equity Assessment Tool. Now, in monthly meetings the EAT functions as a compass for the Office, ensuring we remain accountable to the community.
Equity Action Team Meetings
Everyone is welcome to join the EAT! As a member, your responsibility is to attend and bring your community with you. During our meetings, we hear from community members and City staff to understand community needs and City projects and work together to produce better outcomes for all. See below for our upcoming meetings; we hope to see you there!
Month | Date | Time | RSVP Link | Location |
January | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a--Equity Forum 'Another World is Possible'; no EAT meeting in January |
February | Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 | 10:30am-1:30pm | bit.ly/Feb24EAT | Turner Roberts Recreation Center, 7201 Colony Loop Drive, Austin, TX 78724 in the Multipurpose Room |
March | Wednesday, March 27, 2024 | 6pm-8:30pm | bit.ly/MarchEAT |
Street-Jones Building, 1000 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702; we will meet in the 4th floor conference room (400A) |
April | Saturday, April 27, 2024 | 10:30am-1:30pm | bit.ly/AprilEAT | Wildflower Church-Community Room, 1314 E Oltorf St., Austin, TX 78704 |
May | Wednesday, May 29, 2024 | 6pm-8:30pm | TBD | |
June | Saturday, June 29, 2024 | 10:30am-1:30pm | TBD |
There are three committees contained within the Equity Action Team: Parks and Recreation Support, Evaluation, and the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Support.
Parks and Recreation Action Plan Support
The Parks and Recreation (PARD) Action Plan Support Committee grew out of work that was done within the Community Engagement Committee over the summer. They collaborated with Parks and Recreation and studied the barriers to participation in Aquatics programming. The study unveiled a number of barriers for Eastside pools. Creating solutions to remove these barriers will be one goal that this group will tackle. Others will be items identified by PARD in their Equity Action Plan.
Evaluation
The Evaluation Committee primarily assists the Equity Office in performing quality checks on departmental Equity Assessments. Through this, they ensure departments are being thorough and responsive in their completed Assessments. This work is scheduled to be done again in June 2019. For January and February of 2019, they will be working with the Office to create a guide to help departments ensure their budget requests are advancing equity.
Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Advisory
The Neighborhood Housing and Community Development (NHCD) Advisory Committee will work with NHCD Staff to build relationships with community, and ensure they are exposed to the lived experience of displacement and gentrification in their decision-making processes.