Working for change.
We stand united in our pursuit of calling for a diverse, inclusive, and equitable Delaware. We define diversity as any difference that makes a difference. Inclusion is leveraging, engaging, and valuing human and cultural differences to deliver the most creative, innovative, and impactful results. Equity is creating equal outcomes by providing opportunities tailored to one’s situation. It is both a commitment to action and guaranteed access to discrimination-free environments.
-
Hire a Chief Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Director at Delaware City Schools (DCS) that reports to the Superintendent and develops district-wide standards. This position must be supported by a fulltime staff member with plans to grow into a department.
Create a Racial Incidence Response Team to address traumatic racial occurrences within Delaware City Schools in partnership with DAAHC
Declare a resolution on education equity and social justice.
Establish a recruitment and retention plan to attract diverse administrators, teachers, counselors, and staff by developing strategies to attract this demographic to DCS.
Institute a mandatory (and ongoing) anti-racism training for all Delaware City Schools employees (at all levels).
Develop (age appropriate anti-racism curriculum for all Delaware City School students.
-
Establish a Chief Diversity Officer to lead diversity and inclusion management for the City of Delaware. Areas of management include workforce, supplier diversity, outreach, internal leadership and communication.
Create an inclusion, diversity and equity advisory board – with a specific stakeholder subgroups - to review city policies, procedures and programs.
Develop incentives and programs to attract licensed and/or certified minority-owned business to the City of Delaware.
Change any Civil Service rules to ensure any and all candidates that pass the test be considered for employment.
Commit to diversifying your city offices and departments with the goal of reflecting the racial demographics of our community.
Anti-racist, implicit bias and cultural humility training for all city offices and departments.
-
Police officers who discharge their weapon and/or use excessive force on an unarmed person should be suspended pending further investigation.
Mandatory background checks for new and current employees of all city police and county sheriff departments.
Eliminate the loopholes that allow police officers involved in fatal and excessive force indecent to move to a different department without a community review.
Bold Goals
-
Partner with Delaware City Schools to hold a Black History Month program annually ∙ Advocate for diverse personnel and educators, and equal opportunity hiring and retention practices.
Accelerate the search and reinstatement of a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Director for Delaware City Schools
Identify expanded curriculum opportunities for Delaware City Schools, Delaware Area Career Center, Big Walnut School District, Buckeye Valley School District and Olentangy Local School District with an increased focus on the contributions of African Americans.
Identify resources to ensure all Delaware City School teachers, administrators and personnel receive anti-racist, implicit bias training.
Advocate for a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity parent advisory board at Delaware City Schools.
Develop partnerships to expand education about the African American experience year-round.
-
Create a forum for dialogue to capture stories and understand the Black experience with policing.
Recruit local residents to serve on a local Citizen Review Board or law enforcement. ∙ Raise public awareness about the inequalities in the criminal and juvenile justice systems and address public misconceptions about crime rate trends.
Develop advocacy agenda addressing policing, criminal justice, crime prevention and re-entry issues.
-
Increase the number of African American registered voters.
Train African American voters on the voting process and improve voter’s awareness of social justice issues
Strengthen communications among African American voters as it relates to candidate platforms, issues and legislation.
Hold elected and appointed officials accountable on social justice issues
Identify and encourage African American candidates to seek public office, appointments and board and commission roles.
Appoint Council representative to attend City Council, County Commissioner, DCS Board of Education and provide summary reports
-
Identify future leaders for the organization and community and develop training programs to prepare them for leadership.
Develop scholarships and partnerships to increase education about college or technical school preparedness, entrepreneurship, volunteerism and life skills.
Connect youth to social and racial justice institutes.
Developing a career preparedness component that encourages BIPOC students to pursue careers within the Delaware community.
-
Develop membership packet and applications process for new members
Establish a recruitment strategy with the following annual growth goal of at least 20%.
Maintain a membership database to track milestones and activity
-
Enhance accountability and record keeping practices within DAAHC
Secure 501 (c) (3) status with the State of Ohio
Identify a main operating hub for organizational correspondence, meetings and financial activities
Establish a fundraising campaign
-
Develop brand elements including a style guide, logo and key messaging.
Establish social media presence on core channels including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The three-year strategic plan articulates eight goals and key strategies that the Delaware African American Heritage Council will achieve. This plan has been developed to build on the progress in important areas such as education, political, racial, and social justice advocacy, and community engagement. African Americans continue to navigate the traumatizing indignities of systemic racism that threaten the psychological, physical, economic, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being of our community. This plan is intended to reconcile these institutionalized inequalities through the racial and social justice lens with the goal of increasing access, amplifying the voice of those impacted, and strengthening strategic partnerships through education and training.
Our goals emphasize increasing DAAHC’s strength and reach through strategic partnerships with organizations working in the social and racial justice space. It encompasses other sectors, such as healthcare, education, city and county government, and economic development, as the effects of racism know no boundaries. The plan also emphasizes measuring and communicating the impact of DAAHC’s work.
We hope that all members of the DAAHC review this preliminary plan to better understand the course of the organization, advocacy, and action that the DAAHC Steering Committee has mandated for its membership. DAAHC will be relentless in its efforts to accomplish the outcomes outlined in this strategic plan and to do everything we can to expand, include and elevate the historic and present-day contributions of American Americans through education and engagement.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion is important. For decades social institutions have excluded marginalized groups, and despite modern-day progress, we’ve seen that outcomes for minorities stay the same or with little progress. Because of that, we need leadership that is intentional about remediating institutional racism and other structural barriers that harm individuals and communities. Everyone should have the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from economic prosperity – especially historically excluded populations. Being more inclusive makes a city stronger, and more stable as you give all residents a chance to improve their quality of life.
