In general, cities are equitable when all residents – regardless of their race, ethnicity, income, and neighborhood – can fully participate in the city’s economy, contribute to the city’s future, and connect to the city’s assets and resources. In New Orleans, equity means access, education, community development, inclusion, resources, funding, criminal justice, and much more. The 2019 Census ranked New Orleans 4th in major cities with the most income inequality. Some ways to take on equity challenges include:
Making employees aware of biases (sexism, racism, and ageism) by requiring unconscious-bias training and providing workers with tools to combat bias.
Updating policies so that job interviews include a panel of interviewers with least one from its DE&I counsel
Requiring that vendors/subcontractors have a minimum number of minority or women enterprise members on their team
Supporting local policies that advocate for quality of life in poorer neighborhoods and make investments that reconnect neighborhoods to the regional economy and builds community wealth
