Who We Are
The Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) is the hub for Multnomah County diversity and equity initiatives. Our mission is to ensure access, equity, and inclusion in Multnomah County’s services, policies, practices, and procedures.
What We Do
The Office of Diversity and Equity works with County departments, various community groups, and County residents to achieve and fulfill Multnomah County’s goal of providing an equitable, diverse, safe and inclusive workplace.
We lead the following Countywide equity initiatives:
- Offer consultation and technical assistance to leadership, managers, and other internal and external stakeholders;
- Policy, practice, and procedure review with an Equity and Empowerment Lens;
- Countywide subject matter expertise and leadership in the areas of racial justice, disability equity, and LGBTQ+ inclusion;
- Management and implementation of the Workforce Equity Strategic Plan; and other equity initiatives at the direction of the County Chair and leadership, and/or as required by state and federal law.
The office coordinates Employee Resource Groups to provide leadership and support for staff with marginalized identities; conducts equity focused research and evaluation of County practices, prepares Equal Employment Opportunity reports, staffs externally facing civil rights grievances and other legal compliance; leads committees and policy bodies such as the Employee Accommodations Workgroup and the Multnomah Youth Commission.
What We Believe
We are stewards of change, committed to upholding our values of social justice and inclusively leading with race to dismantle colonization and white supremacy.
- Colonization refers to the historical and ongoing process in which a dominant group takes control of land, resources, and social perception of another group, to suppress and appropriate the culture, autonomy, and rights of those being colonized.
- White supremacy is a system of power that prioritizes the rights, privileges, and experiences of white people over others. It manifests through laws, policies and societal norms that reinforce racial inequality.
Multnomah County acknowledges the profound ways in which race and systemic racism have shaped institutions, structures, communities, and individuals. We also recognize that this organization has historically contributed to, and upheld, the inequalities and harms of systemic racism.
The Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) is charged with removing systemic barriers to equity and inclusion. We recognize the oppression and intentional exclusion of people of the global majority (BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and people of color), as well as women, people experiencing disabilities, diverse sexual orientations and genders, different age groups and other oppressed communities from our institutions and systems.
Our mission is to challenge and transform the systems, structures, and policies that were designed to privilege white people and perpetuate racial hierarchies. We will actively work to dismantle these systems by engaging the entire organization in co-designing solutions that are rooted in relationship building, accountability, and centering those most impacted by marginalization.
Safety, Trust and Belonging: The Workforce Equity Initiative
Workforce equity demands that the County identify and address structural and policy barriers to equal employment opportunity faced by our employees and communities because of their race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation and other protected classes. County employees across the organization have stepped forward to develop a strategic plan and help create a workplace where everyone can reach their full potential.
