Community Declaration of Racism as a Public Health Emergency
Attachment B: Summary of participating organizations’ immediate commitments
July 16, 2020
Immediate Actions from Participating Organizations
This community declaration of racism as a public health emergency is the starting point for
action to address this emergency that will be both immediate and ongoing. In joining the
declaration, participating organizations also committed to immediate actions that they will take
to address this emergency in the work that they do. Together, these groups represent some of
the largest and most impactful employers, educators, service providers, housing organizations,
and other organizations in Chittenden County. A full summary of commitments from all
participating organizations is below.
1. City of Burlington
 Create a new Public Health Equity Manager position to expand the City’s public health
capacity, support the efforts of the City and partners who have declared systemic racism
a public health emergency, and assist in crafting a strategic plan for the City’s racial
health equity work. The strategic plan will involve the restructuring of City operations to
support this new capacity.
 Work in partnership with the Racial Justice Alliance to deploy the $1 million fund for
racial justice created in the City’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget to advance the goals laid out
in the RJA’s Operation Phoenix R.I.S.E agenda: expanding economic opportunity and
cultural empowerment for Black Burlingtonians, and strengthening the City’s newly
created Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging. This work will include conducting
a full review of the City’s existing procurement policies and economic opportunity and
racial justice programs, and will lay the foundation for securing the substantial
additional resources that will be needed in the years to come to achieve the
transformative goal of eradicating systemic racism.
 Create a new, all-employee training initiative aimed at eradicating systemic racism
within the institution of the City of Burlington. This work will include a review of City
advertising, recruitment, compensation, and retention practices, and look at employee
demographic data to identify potential barriers to the hiring of BIPOC individuals.
2. Howard Center
 Create a data dashboard system to identify health disparities and inform practice
change within our agency’s clinical practice and recruitment plan.
 Advance recruitment strategies to racially diversify the Board of Trustees and senior
leadership at Howard Center.
 Enhance training and support to address racist actions by those we serve (clients,
students, patients).
 Demonstrate support for Black Lives Matter through an agency action initiative.

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Offer educational sessions on racism related to mental health, substance use, and
developmental disabilities as part of our free and open to the public Community
Education Series.

3. United Way of Northwest Vermont
Our Initial Commitments:
 Use racial equity as a foundational principle in our community investments;
 Increase training and learning opportunities for staff, community partners & volunteers
with a priority on hiring BIPOC organizations that do this work;
 Commit to promote access to and understanding of data on community outcomes by
race.
4. University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC)
At UVMMC, we are committing today to three specific action items:
 Health Disparity Data -- We are working to collect data from across our clinical areas to
understand how our BIPOC patients are being impacted by illness vs. our white patients,
and to identify other health equity trends beyond outcomes. For example, we know that
patients who identify as Black have lower rates of mammography than those who
identify as white.
 Enhancing Diversity and Equity in our Workforce -- UVM Medical Center will implement
a Workforce Diversity Assessment of its 8,000 employees in August to ask them about
how they experience equity and racism at work. This assessment will be used to
increase recruitment and retention of BIPOC staff and leaders, identify gaps in equity
within the organization, and reveal learning opportunities to increase cultural humility
throughout the organization. The assessment will also take place across the UVM Health
Network.
 Listening Sessions and EDI Steering Committee Work -- We have been hosting Listening
Sessions on Racial Equity & Justice to amplify the experiences and recommendations of
BIPOC staff. Based on what we have heard, and at the direction of our Equity Diversity
and Inclusion Steering Committee, we will be taking several additional action items,
including implementing Employee Resource Groups, instituting an anonymous hotline
for employees to report racism, and training our leaders and staff about how to address
racism whenever and wherever it occurs.
5. Burlington Housing Authority
Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) is committing to the following action steps:
• BHA will strengthen and support its newly formed Justice, Equity, Diversity, and
Inclusion Committee that will review, develop, recommend, and implement relevant
policies, training, and action steps.
• BHA will reexamine HUD and other housing regulations to ensure we are affirmatively
furthering fair housing.
• BHA will continue its participation with community partners to ensure public health
messages are delivered to New Americans in multiple languages.

 • BHA will coordinate with community partners, housing providers, and public agencies
to actively identify and overcome fair housing issues that perpetuate systemic racism
and persistent inequities.
• BHA will strengthen its efforts in hiring, promoting, and advancing a diverse
workforce.
6. Boys and Girls Club of Burlington
 Develop relationships with Vermont employers to create and support professional
opportunities for our BIPOC Club members. This deepens the impact of our own work to
hire and provide professional experiences to our BIPOC Club members.
 Provide our BIPOC Club members with academic and financial support for higher
education
 Plan and participate in staff training on restorative practices in youth development
 Plan and participate in board level training on diversity, equity and inclusion
7. Burlington School District
 Fully implement restorative practices in all schools to create a more equitable
behavioral response system to reduce suspensions and punitive disciplinary actions.
 Review our core curricular materials and develop a plan to ensure our curriculum and
teaching is culturally relevant, anti-racist, and holds high expectations for what all
students know and are able to do.
 Create space for student and family voice in youth- and parent-led conversations about
race and equity in our community.
 Implement a year-long race and equity training series for school and district leaders this
school year.
 Create a resolution to raise the Black Lives Matter flag at each school.
8. Burton
Burton has elevated racial justice as a key priority for the company:
 Burton hired Luis Calderin as a full- time consultant for JEDI work through his Burlington
based agency Okay Okay.
 Burton donated $100,000 to NAACP LDF.
 Burton has joined the “In Solidarity Project” as a partner to play a role in bringing the
outdoor industry together for a more inclusive future.
 Burton is a ‘B- Corp’, which creates rigorous resources and demands for all of its members.
 Burton is developing a strategic plan to address racial justice inside our company,
throughout snowboarding, and across our broader customer community.
9. Cathedral Square
 We are forming a staff committee to oversee anti-racism efforts and activities, including
a representative from each of our five department areas and at least two POC.
 We are adding annual anti-racism and implicit bias training to our mandatory training
schedule for all employees.

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We are checking to ensure that a strong statement of inclusion and commitment to
diversity and equal opportunity is on all our publications and digital venues.
We commit to implementing additional strategies and practices recommended by the
Racial Justice Alliance to dismantle racism and ethnic oppression at all levels of our
organization.

10. Champlain College
Champlain College is committing to the following actions:
 Completing a strategy review of diversity, equity, and inclusion priorities as outlined in
the Champlain 2025 strategic plan in order to identify benchmarks and metrics to
measure ongoing achievements as part of the College’s strategic planning process.
 Conducting a thorough review of organizational practices by carrying out a College-wide
diversity, equity, and inclusion audit that will be used to identify opportunities and
inform short and long-term priorities and implementation.
 Supporting the advancement of racial justice work in the community by expanding
external relationships, and strengthening the City's efforts in this work by partnering
with such organizations as the Population Health Alliance and the Vermont Criminal
Justice Training Council to collectively address issues of access and support the
development of social justice and anti-racist content.
11. Champlain Housing Trust
CHT’s Board of Directors approved a resolution on June 3, 2020 over the killing of George Floyd
in Minneapolis, and of the regular killing of and violence against Black and brown citizens. The
statement can be found at https://www.getahome.org/news/statement-on-the-violenceagainst-black-and-brown-people. In this statement we dedicated ourselves to change internally
and to call for change in our communities. CHT affirms and reaffirms its commitment to fight
racism and to the principle that Black lives matter in its policies, programs, and employment in
all aspects of its work. CHT, its Board of Directors and staff, commits to the following goals as
pieces of a broader action plan:
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We will continue to ensure that the number of people served by our programs will meet
and exceed the percentage of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in our
community who are in need;
We will continually review internal policies and screen them for racial bias, including the
use of criminal history and credit ratings;
We will continue to review our actions that may cause people to lose their housing such
as evictions that have been known to disproportionately impact BIPOC;
We will commit to strengthening our partnerships with organizations serving BIPOC and
other historically disadvantaged groups;
We will ensure BIPOC representation on our Board of Directors and will continue to
work toward having staff reflect not just the community, but the people we serve.

12. Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC)

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Facilitating and providing opportunities for our staff, partner municipalities, and other
local and regional partners to address inequities and advance anti-racism efforts
together.
Examining our organization's policies, practices, culture, and services through the lens of
anti-racism and white privilege to ensure they reflect our commitment to racial justice,
and adjusting accordingly.
Furthering our understanding of the significant historical role land use policies and
transportation investments has had in systemic racism and inequity and making sure
that future zoning and transportation investments in Chittenden County encourage
equity and provide increased opportunities for Black, Indigenous, people of color
(BIPOC), and low income residents. More specifically, we will update our Equity Impact
Worksheet that is part of our Public Participation Plan based on best practices around
the country and will have this reviewed locally by a diverse audience.
Encouraging municipal appointments on our Board and Committees that reflect the
diversity of our community.
Committing to advancing Strategy 8 of the Chittenden County ECOS Plan, which includes
specific tasks related to tracking and analyzing inequities in all sectors of our work,
prioritizing positive programs and investments to low opportunity places, and more.

13. Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB)
CHCB’s Action Steps:
 Leverage the newly formed CHCB Diversity and Inclusion Committee to review
organizational policy and procedures to ensure alignment with our goals of diversity,
inclusion, and equity.
 Examine new approaches to recruitment that strengthen diversity within the Board of
Directors, organizational leadership, and staff.
 Increase staff trainings to address racial health disparities and improve cultural
competency levels.
 Actively engage with community partners to create an antiracist culture within our
community.
14. Chittenden County State’s Attorney
Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George released action steps in early June, which
also are included here.
 Review all pending cases in Chittenden County with Black offenders for racial disparities
and if found, adjust appropriately.
 Advocate for statewide standard for use of force.
 Implement consistent and impartial review of all use of force incidents in Chittenden
County.
 Prioritize limited funding. Advocate for more resources to go towards social services,
mental health services, and substance use services over prosecution to minimize
inherent racial disparities within the criminal justice system.

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Include Black people in conversations about how best to implement these actions and
what other actions must be taken.

15. Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO)
 CVOEO is hiring a Director of Racial Equity to focus on organizational development as
well as working with the communities we serve. This will include connecting with and if
needed leading other groups and efforts.
 CVOEO has formed a Racial Equity Committee comprised of twenty people from across
its service area and representing all its programs to promote and plan for racial equity
within CVOEO and in the communities it services.
 Over the next several months CVOEO will develop a racial equity plan that will look to
bridge gaps; building futures and advocate for real change.
16. The JSM Family Room
Our staff and board will get trained in matters of racial justice and develop a better
understanding of how systemic racism works and negatively impacts the families we work with.
We will search for and hire staff and leadership who represent our families more accurately and
we will commit to partner with other organizations to build a larger, more equitable community
and combat racial injustices to help heal our community.
17. Housing Vermont
Housing Vermont commits to incorporating anti-racist practices in our organization and to work
with others to create a future with equity at its core. As such, we have created a Culture & Race
Committee to work with a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant to build organizational
processes and practices that reflect a human-centered workplace. Specifically, we are
committed to:
 Listen: Listening to and amplifying black and brown voices.
 Learn: Engagement in systemic racism mitigation training for all employees.
 Speak: Using our platform as a regional affordable housing organization to advocate for
anti-racist policies and practices.
 Act: Promote racial justice through our organizational policies and partnerships.
18. King Street Center
 KSC Board members/staff team are taking steps to invite diverse people from their
different networks to join our Board and staff team.
 Connecting with an agency/consultant in our community who can perform an
organization wide audit of programming and practices.
 Embedding anti-racist work into all KSC initiatives, programs and special committees.
19. Lake Champlain Chamber
 Having our Board issue a companion proclamation
 Engaging with BIPOC business owners and community leaders to learn about their
experiences, understand their concerns, and in turn guide our work.

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We are investing in internal diversity and inclusion work, including but not limited to:
staff education and review of Chamber employment practices.
Providing education and resources for businesses on how to take action toward
advancing racial equity.
Reviewing our programs and initiatives for changes that can have greater impact.

20. Let’s Grow Kids
 Adopt a formal racial equity framework to assess – and improve – Let’s Grow Kids
programs and policies
 Implement an outreach and engagement strategy to ensure Let’s Grow Kids includes,
listens to, and represents the needs of Black Vermonters and people of color in all parts
of our movement
 Advance sustainable strategies to support early childhood educators in creating
antiracist child care programs.
21. Local Motion
 We are participating in this declaration to hold ourselves accountable, and make
ourselves publicly accountable through this process.
 Local Motion has formed an Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity team to examine our
organization and its programming, educate our staff, board, partners, and constituents
on the role of transportation in perpetuating systemic racism, and identify actions we
can take to ensure that our organization and its programming works to dismantle
systemic racism and the public health emergency it has created.
 By the end of November 2020, this team will produce a list of specific action steps for
Local Motion to take in order to actively fight racist practices and contribute to the
building of more just and equitable systems both within and outside of our organization.
It will also set regular reviews of these action steps in order to monitor progress and
ensure a sustained commitment to this effort.
22. Opportunities Credit Union
 Opportunities Credit Union will continue to offer free financial counseling to anyone in
need;
 Opportunities Credit Union will continue to offer anti-predatory lending products to
Vermonters without regard to race;
 Opportunities Credit Union will continue to offer affordable home mortgages and down
payment assistance to all races.
23. Sara Holbrook Community Center
The students and families that are a part of Sara Holbrook Community Center bring unique
perspectives and value to the center and our community, and we seek to honor that with the
following commitments:
 We will add a Diversity and Inclusion Committee to our Board of Directors, made up of
staff and board, that specifically seeks and responds to the voices of BIPOC, utilizes best

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practices grounded in science and data with the goal of bringing sustained focus to
eliminating race-based discrepancies. The initial work of this committee will be a
comprehensive examination of SHCC policies and procedures across the organization
intended to root out areas where systemic racism is evident and to remedy those
discrepancies.
As we actively update our mission, vision, values, and by-laws; diversity, equity and
inclusion will be a key part of that conversation to ensure anti-racist ideals and
expectations are a part of our guiding principles.
SHCC will collaborate and coordinate with the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, the
Chittenden County Population Health Alliance along with other agencies, organizations,
businesses, and individuals with whom we share this mission and these common goals.

24. Seventh Generation
As a company based in Burlington, we acknowledge our privileges as a predominantly White
community and intend to be an active participant in the work to disrupt the structures that
have systemically hurt and disadvantaged Black, Indigenous and other People of Color.
As a company that has long been committed to protecting human health and ensuring climate
justice, it is now clear to us that systemic racism is intrinsically linked to the health of people
and communities. We hope for a city in which all communities thrive. We support the City’s
declaration of Racism as a Health Emergency and commit to advance solutions that address
systemic racism in our hometown.
In addition, Seventh Generation commits to:
 Leadership team to dedicate two full days this month, and time every month thereafter,
to building and implementing a short and long term DEI action plan informed by an
expert, addressing our culture, our business practices and our community action.
 Establish a DEI Committee with a focus on building a culture of belonging and support
for all our employees underpinned by education and courageous conversations.
 To build alliances with the city, state and other businesses to help make Burlington a
welcoming place to BIPOC communities.
 To continue the dialogue with our employees through regular “town halls.”
25. Spectrum Youth & Family Services
As a mental health organization that is invested in the wellbeing of our community, Spectrum is
strengthening our commitment to fight against racial injustice. We commit to including youth
clients and board members in our staff-led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. We
commit to hiring an outside consultant to help develop a strategy to challenge our own work,
systems, and biases as mental health practitioners and social workers. We commit to educating
our board through trainings on Racial Justice.
26. Burlington District of the Vermont Agency of Human Services

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Coordinate efforts with the 6 Burlington District AHS Department Directors/Managers
and the AHS Interdepartmental Trauma & Resilience Team to align our work with the
tenets of this declaration;
Establish a direct link between our BDO District Team and the statewide efforts being
led by the AHS Equity Director to assure transparency and consistency with State
efforts;
Commit to full participation in the ongoing work of the Alliance to eliminate race-based
health disparities and eradicate systemic racism.

27. Vermont Department of Health
As we began doing during the development of our State Health Assessment and State Health
Improvement Plan, we will deliberately engage people of color in dialogue about the issues
facing them and about possible solutions. We commit to striving to eliminate inequalities in
health, health care, and health systems and ensuring that health supports and services are
available, accessible, affordable, coordinated, culturally appropriate, and offered with cultural
humility. As part of testing or contact tracing we commit to collecting data about race,
ethnicity, and preferred language and will publish that data to our website.
28. Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA)
In addition to our longstanding work to promote fair housing and lending, VHFA pledges today
to:
 Work to increase the number of BIPOC on VHFA’s Board of Commissioners, in Agency
leadership positions, and staff;
 Disaggregate VHFA’s programmatic data to make clear who VHFA’s lending and
assistance programs serve and which neighborhoods may be over/under represented.
This information will be public and we will target future resources in response
accordingly; and
 Strengthen and improve interpretation services and communication about VHFA’s
programs to cover more languages.
There is far more VHFA is planning to accomplish over the coming year to work towards racial
justice. Our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Committee will be empowered to
push the Agency faster and stronger in these and future actions.
29. YMCA of Greater Burlington
Like all of us, we are working on concrete steps here at the Y. Here is a start:
 We commit to improved infrastructure to support anti-racism work inside and outside
of our organization. To that end we are newly creating an internal anti-racism "council"
comprised of staff. It will have 9 members. All staff will be eligible to serve on the
council for 6 month terms. Terms will be staggered for continuity. Three of the nine
slots will be reserved for people of color. This council will report directly to the CEO,
who will have an ex officio connection.

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We are re-starting and enhancing a wellness/mentoring/leadership program for youth
of color, that we began at our old location and which got sidetracked by Covid. The Y is
underwriting that program.