Advancing Racial Equity: A Framework for Federal Agencies

Systemic racial inequities pervade all areas of life in the United States, more than five decades after the legal gains secured by the civil rights movement. The federal government has both the power and the responsibility to address and end these inequities that burden our country. Toward this end, the Biden-Harris administration has mandated federal agencies to embed racial equity across the breadth and depth of government. This requires nothing less than reshaping how the federal government serves its people. Race Forward, the home of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), is committed to supporting the federal government in this process, and to holding it accountable to advancing racial equity. Because systemic racism has lowered everyone’s standard of living, implementing a racial equity agenda will both level up outcomes for people of color and improve socioeconomic outcomes for all. This report offers a framework for advancing racial equity in the federal government that has emerged from years of work with local and state governments across the country. The four components of this framework can guide racial equity practitioners and leaders in federal agencies as they embark on implementing racial equity strategies.