About
Race Forward created its Federal Strategies program in the wake of President Biden's historic Executive Order which committed to a whole of government approach to racial equity in 2021. The program through its Federal Initiative on Governing for Race and Equity (FIRE) works to support and advance racial equity in public administration at the federal level. FIRE has partnered with upwards of a dozen agencies and reached thousands of federal workers. In our next phase, we will be developing the necessary resilience strategies to sustain the gains our racial justice movement and public servants have made together, as well as preparing and imagining for a future where we transform government towards racial and other forms of equity, and ensure its accountability to all our communities.
Our Goals and Approach
Public administration represents everyday democracy, as it is the arm of government that runs our public systems, implements our public priorities, and serves our communities on a daily basis. Its independence, ability to serve and protect the public, and its relationship with communities impacted by its decisions deeply shape the kind of democracy in which we live. We are committed to a multiracial democracy where public agencies continually advance racial and all other forms of equity, are able to check abuses by the market, deeply engage with and are informed by communities most impacted by its decisions and programs, and deliver just and equitable results.
Towards these ends, we must both protect our civil institutions and plan for the future to improve them. Our Federal Strategies program is poised to do both in an interrelated strategy to contribute to our fight for racial equity and democracy and will be launching two new projects:
- Defending Equitable Administrative Democracy: The attacks on the independence, mission and capacity of our federal agencies by Project 2025 pose grave risks to an equitable future. We will be monitoring attempts to undermine or dismantle democratic and equitable practices in federal agencies and/or to turn agencies against communities. We are also launching a collaborative of former federal workers to develop, along with our national partners, organizing and narrative strategies to protect and defend the integrity of federal civil servants and agencies.
- Future of Equity Initiative: A racially equitable future depends on accountable and capable leaders at every level of government. We will be developing a pipeline of future leaders through our Future of Equity Initiative, engaging both former federal workers that hope to return to public service and recent graduates with aspirations to serve as civil servants. This future also depends on a clear and robust vision and blueprint. Drawing down on the expertise, insight and experience, from our racial equity practitioners from local to federal, we will be assembling and developing this blueprint for building governing power towards the multiracial democracy where all neighborhoods can thrive.
Reports
From Project 2025 to Project 2029
This toolkit offers a road map to respond to the threat posed by Project 2025 to equitable, democratic and accountable public institutions, particularly our federal agencies, as well as longer-term strategies for turning public administration into a force for equity and justice.
Advancing Racial Equity: A Framework for Federal Agencies
Advancing Racial Equity: A Framework for Federal Agencies describes the components of a racial equity approach, and the resource walks practitioners and leaders in the federal government through key actions and challenges they may face as they embark on implementing racial equity strategies.
Assessment of Federal Equity Action Plans
Assessment of Federal Equity Action Plans presents the findings of a review by Race Forward and PolicyLink of thirty Equity Action Plans (EAPS) released by federal agencies and departments in early 2022. This landmark report considers the strengths and areas for improvement in these first-ever federal government EAPs. The report offers recommendations for strengthening the EAPs if there is an opportunity to do so.