Workshop | State Static and Strategy: Confronting the Challenge and Burden of Doing Equity Work as Public Employees

This session not only interrogates some of the contradictions between state structures and the realization of social justice, it also explores the opportunities, and agency, we have as public employees to have a positive material impact on our shared communities. To this end we present a framework for understanding the difference among, and connective threads through, the spheres of oppression–systemic, structural, institutional and interpersonal. We will use this framework to analyze the specific–and strategic–work we can do in our roles as public servants to help create a future of equity. Just as importantly, we will discuss the potential of aligning the equity work we do in our various capacities. After this session, attendees will have a better understanding of the areas of influence we have as public employees, and how this work can support a broader social transformation toward social justice.

Originally from Minneapolis, Sky Wilson has lived in the Northwest since 1995, and moved to Vancouver in 2007, to complete his doctorate degree at Washington State University Vancouver. For nearly two decades, his research and work has focused on community organizing, and local communities creating alternative community-based solutions to structural inequity. He has worked in higher education, the nonprofit sector, local government, and with grassroots and community serving organizations. In 2019 Sky created the structure for, and facilitated a two-year equity collaborative composed of 14 health care and community serving organizational partners across Southwest Washington. Through the pandemic, Sky served as the Equity and Inclusion Manager for Multnomah County Health Department and currently supports equity work in the Multnomah County Library system.

As the son of a white Portlander and Black Jamaican immigrant, Sky has maintained a long-term focus on race--and critique of racism--to understand, and respond to inequitable social, political and economic structures in more effective ways. Sky brings this focus to all his roles, as a consultant, educator, husband and parent.

As the library’s equity and inclusion manager, Sonja Ervin leads efforts to ensure library services, programs, staffing, materials, and spaces are equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive. Her work involves leading staff in thoughtful discussions about equity and inclusion and outlining actionable steps to improve the library’s efforts both internally and for the community.  She engages leadership and staff to approach the work by working towards inclusively leading with race and creating transformational change to better support  communities most impacted by systems of racism and oppression