Equity Statement
Our Streets Minneapolis works for a city where biking, walking, and rolling are easy and comfortable for everyone--from all identities and backgrounds. Advancing equity means Our Streets Minneapolis engages, reflects, and works with communities and neighborhoods who historically have been underinvested in. Our Streets Minneapolis will provide extra focus on engaging, reflecting, and working with communities and neighborhoods who have traditionally been underinvested in, including people of color, women, transgender people, people with low income, people with disabilities, and residents of North and Northeast Minneapolis.
In fulfillment of our mission, Our Streets Minneapolis is committed to:
- Transforming our internal culture by:
- Proactively creating safer spaces where all identities are welcome and people feel supported and listened to;
- Reflecting our diverse communities in our Board and staff;
- Training Board, staff, and volunteers on equity and safer spaces work;
- Educating our network on equity issues;
- Moving to an accessible office space as soon as prudent and hosting most meetings in accessible locations in the short term; and
- Tracking our progress and reporting on our internal equity advancement efforts at every other regular Board meeting and with a more detailed annual report.
- Expanding and adjusting our advocacy efforts and programs by:
- Applying an equity lens to all of our work;
- Actively seeking and listening to diverse perspectives and making changes to our priorities and work according to what we hear;
- Implementing programs that support equity related to our mission;
- Partnering with others who are also committed to advancing equity;
- Conveying an understanding of how bike and walk equity issues intersect with other issues of livability, including racial profiling and other enforcement issues; and
- Tracking our progress and reporting on our advocacy and programmatic equity advancement efforts regularly as a part of Board meetings
