Development, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DDEI)

The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DDEI) partners with all City and County of Broomfield departments and offices to develop our people to be the best they can be in and out of the office. DDEI works to strengthen the capacity to change and achieve greater effectiveness by developing, improving and reinforcing strategies, structures and processes through a lens of Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion that will become a driving force to how our internal operations, community outreach and programming are designed and implemented.

DDEI’s vision is to establish an organizational culture of Equity and Inclusion that provides direction and leadership in culturally relevant professional development, policies and practices.

Equity Statement

The City and County of Broomfield is committed to facilitating an equitable community and workplace. Through coordinated strategic efforts and departmental alignment, CCOB advocates for making services accessible to all, especially those that have been historically excluded and under-resourced, including but not limited to Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color, Women, those who are Differently-Abled and members of LGBTQIA+ communities.

DDEI's Guiding Principles

The following principles guide DDEI:

Teamwork 

We commit to collaborative and supportive relationships within DDEI and with our customers. Open, constructive communication and problem solving will guide our professional relationships with one another. 

Inclusivity 

We accept a variety of perspectives as healthy and work to identify common goals and objectives. We strive to create and maintain an environment of trust through open, honest and direct interaction with each other. 

Community 

We commit to anticipating and responding to the needs of our community both internally and externally by providing professional, knowledgeable and timely service. Innovation We commit to ongoing improvements in service delivery through creativity and best practices. 

Respect 

We treat all people with dignity, honesty and respect. We will demonstrate through our actions an understanding of and appreciation for diversity. 

Integrity 

We believe in the honor and value of public service. Because of the unique responsibilities entrusted in us, we commit ourselves to the highest standards of ethical conduct, open communication and transparency.

Shared Definitions

Why definitions? So we can have a common language, context, and reference space for connection, understanding and growth in DDEI and beyond.

Equity 

Equity is when one’s identity cannot predict outcomes. (Equity is the umbrella under which Diversity and Inclusion reside.) Socially, it refers to the wide range of identities. It broadly includes race, ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, veteran status, physical appearance, etc. It also involves different ideas, perspectives and values. 

Diversity 

Diversity includes all the ways in which people are different, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make an individual or group different from one another. Socially, it refers to the wide range of identities. It broadly includes race, ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, veteran status, physical appearance, etc. It also involves different ideas, perspectives and values. 

Inclusion 

Inclusion in the workplace happens when anyone, of any identity, can engage in their work environment as their authentic self and feel valued, heard and know they are represented in decision-making. The act of creating an environment in which any individual or group will be welcomed, respected, supported and valued as a fully participating member. Valuing differences as a source of strength, innovation and performance; creating belonging. 

Communities of Color 

Communities of Color is a term used primarily in the United States to describe communities of people who are not identified as White, emphasizing common experiences of racism within their communities. 

Ethnicity 

Ethnicity is a category of people who identify with each other based on common language, ancestral, social, cultural or national experiences. 

Implicit Bias 

Implicit Bias is the evaluation of one group and its members relative to one another, expressed directly or indirectly, without awareness or conscious thought. 

Institutional and Systemic Racism 

Institutional and Systemic Racism occurs within institutions and systems of power. It is the unfair policies and discriminatory practices of institutions and systems (schools, government, workplaces, etc.). This can also be policies and practices that are neutral on their face but have detrimental outcomes to one or more marginalized populations. 

Race 

Race is a non-scientific classification of human beings created by Europeans to assign human worth and social status for the purpose of establishing and maintaining privilege and power. 

Racial Disparity 

Racial Disparity is when a significant difference in conditions between a racial group and the dominant (White) population is most often avoidable and unjust, e.g., national disciplinary rates in public schools that suspend or expel Black and Brown boys at four times the rate of White boys for the same offense. 

Underserved, Underrepresented and/or Marginalized 

Underserved/Underrepresented/Marginalized refers to people and places that historically and currently have not had equitable resources or access to infrastructure, healthy environments, housing choice, etc. disparities may be recognized in both services provided and in outcomes. 

Microaggressions 

Microaggressions are brief or casual comments/exchanges, verbal and non-verbal, that send denigrating messages to individuals because of their membership in any marginalized or oppressed group. The origin of microaggressions is founded in race, specifically against Black/African American individuals, but has since broadened to include all marginalized/oppressed groups. 

Macro-Microaggressions 

Macro-Microaggressions are microaggressions that occur on institutional and systemic levels.