Officials of the Chattanooga Housing Authority declared in a Thursday email their "unwaverity commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)."
Newly elected President Donald Trump has put down an order "ending radical and wasteful DEI programs and preferencing."
The CHA email says:
Recent federal changes have led to significant changes in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within government agencies and the private sector. Notably, executive orders have been issued to dismantle DEI programs.
In light of these developments, this email serves to reaffirm CHA's unwavering commitment to our current DEI Policy.
We will continue to monitor any legal changes that may affect our policies and practices and will keep you apprised of any changes.
Last year, an external consultant facilitated a series of listening sessions with CHA employees to gather feedback on how CHA can foster a more inclusive culture. The insight from these discussions were shared with CHA management and have been put into practice. CHA remains committed to ongoing improvements to ensure an inclusive environment for all.
Here is a copy of CHA's DEI Policy for your reference:
1.3 Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The CHA is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that the CHA employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only the CHA's culture, but the reputation and achievement as well.
The CHA diversity initiatives include, but are not limited to, practices and policies related to recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, professional development and training, promotions, transfers, social and recreational programs, layoffs, termination and the ongoing development of a work environment built on the premise of gender and diversity equity that encourages and enforces:
- Respectful communication and cooperation between all employees
- Teamwork and employee participation, permitting the representation of all groups and employee perspectives, and
- Employee and employer contributions to the communities we serve in order to promote a greater understanding and respect for diversity.
All employees of the CHA have a responsibility to treat others with respect and dignity at all times. All employees are expected to exhibit conduct that reflects inclusion during work and at all other CHA-sponsored events. All employees are also required to attend any training to enhance their knowledge to fulfill this responsibility. Any employee found to have exhibited any inappropriate conduct or behavior against others may be subject to disciplinary behavior.
Employees who believe they have been subjected to any kind of discrimination that conflicts with the CHA's diversity policy and initiatives should seek assistance from the Human Resources Department.