We believe that all who work, or aspire to do so, should have equal opportunity to participate in our economy and share equally the economic prosperity our labor creates. We believe that discrimination on any basis—race or color, gender, class, ethnicity, ability, health status, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, religion, or creed—is abhorrent and inconsistent with our values as a people and an organization.
In particular, we recognize the harmful historic and economic legacy of anti-Blackness, slavery, colonialization, and laws and policies that have embedded and sustained structural racism and sexism that impedes achieving our vision of shared prosperity. Racial, gender, and worker justice are central to the world we want to live in.
We believe equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are critical to ensuring the well-being of the Economic Policy Institute. The EPI Action Board is committed to supporting EPI in its quest to fulfill the vision outlined in EPI’s vision for racial equity, diversity, and inclusion, and to shaping its own policies and practices to ensure they further EPI’s goal of becoming an anti-racist organization and an organization that addresses systems of supremacy, power, and privilege in all its forms. Specifically, EPI Action Board members will commit to taking the following actions:
- Conduct a comprehensive EDI audit of the Board no less than every three years, along with an action plan to address any identified deficiencies. The audit will include, but will not be limited to, a review of the Action Board of Directors’ composition by race, gender, class, ability, and age, along with a review of board policies that may inhibit the Board from being able to recruit and retain diverse members. The results of the audit will guide the Board’s efforts to ensure the diversity of the Board, Board committees, and advisory bodies. When vacancies occur, the audit will help inform the process of nominating and electing candidates who reflect the diverse representation EPI seeks to achieve. The first audit will be conducted prior to the December 2022 Board meeting.
- Support the EPI president’s efforts to implement recruitment, hiring (of employees, contractors, and vendors), retention, and promotion systems that mitigate unconscious bias and achieve the vision outlined in EPI’s vision for racial equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Exhibit conduct that reflects equity and inclusion at all times.
- Ensure Board members and members of committees established by the board have access to training and resource materials to enhance their knowledge of equity and inclusion issues in order to fulfill the responsibilities of this policy.
- Review this EDI policy and Board practices on an ongoing basis to reflect changing legislation, demographics, and organizational priorities that relate to EPI’s mission.