About
The Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI) is a citywide effort to end institutionalized racism and race-based disparities in City government.
RSJI builds on the work of the civil rights movement and the ongoing efforts of individuals and groups in Seattle to confront racism. The Initiative's long term goal is to change the underlying system that creates race-based disparities in our community and to achieve racial equity.
Who is RSJI?
RSJI is the City's long-term commitment to undo institutional racism. The racial justice work is carried out by a citywide infrastructure - city workers and community members -that live in every branch of city government. This infrastructure works toward developing accountable relationships, analyzing the relationship between power and racism, and shifting structures and processes to create racially equitable outcomes.
What does RSJI do?
RSJI provides racial equity support to city departments through trainings, technical assistance, hands-on facilitation, and community engagement. This targeted support is holistic and aims to address our environmental, structural, institutional, and individual goals for racial justice.
Our Guiding Principles (Adopted from the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond)
- Undoing Racism
- Sharing Culture
- Learning from history
- Maintaining Accountability
- Analyzing Power
- Undoing Internalized Racial Oppression
- Identifying and analyzing manifestations of racism
- Developing leadership
- Networking
- Gatekeeping
Working at RSJI
The Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI) is a small, dedicated team of racial equity organizers in the Seattle Office for Civil Rights (SOCR). Working in RSJI is a unique opportunity to bring anti-racist principles into a government agency.
To see open job opportunities, please visit the City of Seattle Job Opportunities Page.