WXXI is proud to be a partner in Rochester’s 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge, joining more than 400 local organizations working toward a goal of broadening the discussion and understanding of racial equity and strengthening our ability to dismantle all forms of racism.

WXXI/Little/CITY will work together to develop a deeper understanding of race, power, privilege and leadership.

We will work closely with our newly-formed Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council.  Made up of staff, Trustees and volunteers, our Council will help steer the implementation of our new Strategic Direction, with a focus on racial justice.

Our Vision is that WXXI, The Little and CITY will be recognized as anti-racist organizations and community leaders on issues of race, diversity, equity and inclusion.

Our Goals include the development of a station-wide diversity plan to inspire meaningful engagement across identity groups in all their various forms.   We will review our policies and procedures and work to root out systemic biases.

We will review and revise our recruitment strategies and best practices.

We also commit to the development of a major content initiative focused on race that will involve all areas of our organization.

WXXI News is planning a “source tracking system” to ensure that the people we are talking to for our stories accurately reflect our community. We will improve our outreach efforts and connect with a more diverse set of sources and share their stories.

As public media, WXXI has a responsibility to strive to be a progressive organization, especially when it comes to issues of equity and social justice. Recent events, including the death of Daniel Prude here in Rochester, further show the need to take a hard look at what it means to be an “anti-racist” organization and what we should be doing to be a leader in promoting change.

We must be more intentional in building a diverse board and in attracting diverse staff and volunteers.

Achieving these goals will make us – WXXI, The Little, CITY – stronger organizations, ones better prepared to serve and build our community.