Equity Statement

Acknowledging Inequities
The Community Foundation of Snohomish County has made a commitment to advance equity and social justice by transforming itself into a diverse, equitable, and inclusive foundation.

The history of racism and oppression in the United States has made prosperity fleeting for many. Unfortunately, our systems fail to meet the needs and honor the strengths and resiliency of our entire community. Racial disparities are widening. Without focused effort toward dismantling racism, inequities will continue to grow. Therefore, we have chosen to address equity through an explicitly (though not exclusively) racial framework.

COVID 19 is the latest example of how inequities have affected communities of color. We continue to see widening gaps in income, health, education, and wealth. These disparities are not created by individual choices or actions. They are created by residual and ongoing laws, policies, practices, and culture. These practices ignore the entrenchment of advantages to white individuals and the pervasive disadvantages for people of color. This is shown in disproportionate discipline in schools toward Black children, violence against Indigenous women and discrimination in the justice system to all people of color.

Inequities increase as personal identities such as gender, sexual orientation, disability status and age intersect with one another. Whereas a Black woman experiences the world through gender and race, the experiences of a white man living in poverty are significantly different. Those experiences are impacted by class. They are not impacted by race. This provides a certain level of race privilege, commonly referred to as white privilege. These privileges and intersections must be included in our discussions. While these intersections add complexity and depth to our conversations about equity and justice, we must acknowledge that all a person’s identities impact their experiences in systems.

We cannot fully live our foundation’s mission unless we address the root causes of these disparities. We must also address and acknowledge the trauma caused by these disparities. Systemic racism and oppression rob us all of our humanity.

Our Commitments to Race Equity & Social Justice
Our commitment is to disrupt and dismantle the systems of racism and oppression in ourselves, our foundation and community. We support and advocate for a strong, vibrant, and diverse community where everyone has access and opportunities to thrive regardless of race, national origin, gender, class status, sexual orientation, disability status, and age. We will continue to confront our own personal biases, challenge racist norms, and learn by doing.

Created in 2020 with our Community Foundation Equity Team, Board of Directors & Staff..