JEDI Initiative
Programs of Public Affairs
The Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Initiative’s purpose is to identify and implement concrete actions that foster anti-racism and anti-oppression across all contexts of the Programs of Public Affairs (PPA). The Initiative consists of an Advisory Council and a Working Group, as described below, but its success hinges on the oversight, input, and contributions of all PPA faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
What We're Reading
Dismantling Racism and White Supremacy in Public Service Institutions and Society
The field of public administration has long resisted admitting an uncomfortable truth. Public administrattion is culpable in creating and maintaining racist, white supremacist policies and institutions through which Black, Indigenous, and other communities
Dismantling Racism and White Supremacy in Public Service Institutions and Society
By Sean McCandless and Brandi Blessett in Administrative Theory & Praxis
The field of public administration has long resisted admitting an uncomfortable truth. Public administrattion is culpable in creating and maintaining racist, white supremacist policies and institutions through which Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color disproportionately experience prejudice and discrimination and, therefore, inequities and injustices throughout public services and society. However, few have been willing to have this difficult conversation. This Dialogue symposium seeks to contribute to this conversation, and this introduction both previews pieces in the symposium while also adding context to key concepts and discussions.
University of Utah students, faculty, and staff may need to be logged into the Marriott Library system to access the article's full text. If you are a PPA alum or affiliate that needs help accessing the article, please email ppa-jedi@utah.edu.
Indigenous Peoples and Third Sector Research: Indigenous Data Sovereignty...
Indigenous communities have historically been some of the most researched communities around the globe. But much of this research has caused great harm to Indigenous peoples. In response to these harmful and abusive research practices...
Indigenous Peoples and Third Sector Research: Indigenous Data Sovereignty as a Framework to Improve Research Practices
By Raymond Foxworth and Cheryl Ellenwood in VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations
Indigenous communities have historically been some of the most researched communities around the globe. But much of this research has caused great harm to Indigenous peoples. In response to these harmful and abusive research practices, Indigenous leaders and scholars have envisioned new research principles, practices, methodologies, and policies that center Indigenous peoples, values, worldviews, governance and knowledge systems: Indigenous data sovereignty. This article examines the current state of third sector research relating to Indigenous peoples. We find that Indigenous communities are largely absent from third sector research and there are significant issues with how third sector research conceptualizes Indigenous peoples. We introduce Indigenous data sovereignty as a demand and framework of Indigenous communities aimed at supporting more equitable research practices and pathways to advance research with and for—and not on—Indigenous communities.
University of Utah students, faculty, and staff may need to be logged into the Marriott Library system to access the article's full text. If you are a PPA alum or affiliate that needs help accessing the article, please email ppa-jedi@utah.edu.
Actions for Queering American Public Administration
Scholarship in top public administration journals has rarely examined how LGBTQ+ milestones
relate to policy development, implementation, and service-delivery. This exposes a
discrepancy between what scholars study, what practitioners face...
Actions for Queering American Public Administration
By Samantha J. Larson in Administration & Society
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) visibility has exponentially grown over the past half century. In one lifetime, America has borne witness to the Stonewall Riots, AIDS epidemic, legalization of same-sex marriage, and debates for transgender individuals to openly serve in the military. Yet, scholarship in top public administration journals has rarely examined how LGBTQ+ milestones relate to policy development, implementation, and service-delivery. This exposes a discrepancy between what scholars study, what practitioners face, and what queer communities need. Building on the Social Equity Manifesto, this manuscript offers recommendations for incorporating queer perspectives into research, teaching, and instruction, offering a more inclusive and intersectional agenda.
University of Utah students, faculty, and staff may need to be logged into the Marriott Library system to access the article's full text. If you are a PPA alum or affiliate that needs help accessing the article, please email ppa-jedi@utah.edu.
For more reading suggestions see the PPA JEDI Select Reading List page:
Amid the antiracist activism of 2020, the Programs of Public Affairs received necessary feedback from current students and alumni. In candid letters, students and alumni of color and white allies articulated that the Programs had not only failed to live up to the ideals of antiracist education, but at times perpetuated marginalization in our curricula, classrooms, and treatment of students. Deeply appreciated by faculty and staff, the communications helped spark a cross-program (re)commitment to addressing matters related to racism, marginalization, and oppression. One year later, this commitment takes the form of the Programs of Public Affairs JEDI Initiative, where “JEDI” refers to:
Justice —fair and equal distribution of rights, protections, privileges, and burdens in a society, including within and across its economic, environmental, legal, political, and governance dimensions
Equity — fair distribution of resources and opportunities, accounting for past and present events, conditions, and contexts
Diversity — sociodemographic differences, and specifically those that characterize traditionally marginalized individuals and groups on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexual orientation, ability, and language
Inclusion — authentic and empowered participation that extends to a true sense of belonging for all, but especially the traditionally marginalized, across all program levels
Purpose
The JEDI Initiative’s purpose is to identify, articulate, and implement concrete actions that foster anti-racism and anti-oppression across all contexts under the purview of the Programs of Public Affairs. To these ends, the Initiative’s central focus for the 2022-23 school year is to finalize and implement a Programs-specific JEDI Action Plan that spans program policies and practices, program and course curricula, course delivery and classroom interactions, and communications and relationships—both internal and external. Examples of concrete actions under the Action Plan include:
- Formally integrating diverse recruitment policies for all positions through partnership with University Human Resources diverse recruitment experts.
- Developing and offering regular courses at the intersection of JEDI and public affairs, such as colonial public administration, social justice leadership, race and public policy.
- Identifying training opportunities to raise faculty and staff awareness of their JEDI-related positionalities, increase their JEDI competencies, and better equip them to address JEDI matters both in and outside of the classroom.
JEDI Working Group
The JEDI Initiative Working Group consists primarily of current Programs of Public Affairs faculty and staff, although the participation of current students and alumni is welcomed. The Working Group’s primary responsibilities are to develop and implement (either directly or by way of coordination) the JEDI Initiative Action Plan.
JEDI Working Group Members:
- David P. Carter, PPA JEDI Coordinator & Associate Professor
- Robert Forbis, PPA Interim Director
- Lina Svedin, Associate Professor
Supporting Administration & Staff:
- Stephen Bannister, MIAGE Director & Associate Professor
- Gabriella Blanchard, MPP & MIAGE Program Manager
- Victoria Medina, PPA Accounting & Finance Manager
- JaTara Smith, MPA Program Manager
JEDI Advisory Council
The JEDI Initiative Advisory Council consists of Programs of Public Affairs students and alumni who are members of or allies to traditionally marginalized groups. The Advisory Council’s primary responsibilities are to advise and oversee the efforts of the Working Group, including periodic reviews and audits of the Working Group’s progress, and that of the JEDI Initiative, overall.
How to Participate
We intend the JEDI Initiative to be transparent, responsive, and accountable to the Advisory Council and other stakeholders, and welcome the participation of interested faculty, staff, students, and alumni. This webpage reports on Initiative progress and will be regularly updated with Initiative products - check back regularly. Contact us at ppa-jedi@utah.edu if you are interested in participating in the Working Group or Advisory Council, to provide input on the Initiative, to be added to our email list to receive regular updates, or with any other related communications or queries.
Although its objectives are urgent, the JEDI Initiative will only be successful if it builds off of a solid understanding of JEDI concerns, the Programs’ limitations and failures in JEDI matters, and carefully designed actions and interventions to address these. To these ends, the Initiative can be considered in several stages:
Program audit (Spring 2021). In fall 2020, the Programs of Public Affairs contracted with Dr. Edén Cortes-López to perform an equity audit of the largest of the three programs, the MPA program. The results of the audit offer valuable insights into both the need for the JEDI Initiative and particular shortcomings that its efforts must address.
mpa program 2021 equity audit report
Convene JEDI Initiative bodies (Fall 2021-Spring 2022). In the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 semesters, the JEDI Initiative is focused on convening the Advisory Council and Working Group. The Working Group will then turn to development of the JEDI Action Plan, under the advisement of of the Advisory Council. Initiative events and products from Fall 2021-Spring 2022 to date include:
SPRING 2022 COURSE EDI REVIEW REPORT
- JEDI Initiative Town Hall #1 (January 18, 2022): A converstaion regarding JEDI matters at the PPA in the past, present, and future, facilitated by Irene Ota.
- JEDI Initiative Town Hall #2 (March 15, 2022): Updates from the JEDI Working Group, including results of the Spring 2022 Course EDI Review (see above), as well as genreal dialogue regarding JEDI matters at the PPA.
- PPA "U-nite" (March 23, 2022): As part of the University of Utah's Day of Collective Action, students and faculty participated in “lightning talks” and conversation to address racism, bias, discrimination, and shed light on broader equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) work.
Action Plan development (Summer 2022). During summer 2022, the Working Group focused on development of the Programs of Public Affairs JEDI Action Plan.
Action Plan completion & implementation (Fall 2022-Spring 2023). The JEDI Working Group will complete the Programs of Public Affairs JEDI Action Plan in Fall 2022, which will then be passed to the Advisory Council for review. The Working Group is responsible for coordinating and realizing Action Plan implementation thereafter. The Advisory Council will oversee implementation by reviewing and confirming satisfactory progress and completion per the Plan.
Photo by Lucie Hošová