The racial reckoning of 2020 inspired government, philanthropy, and private-sector organizations across the nation to confront systemic racism and advance racial equity through their policies and funding priorities. To honor those commitments, many local governments recognized they needed to understand the history of policies and practices that have disadvantaged communities of color in the United States.

As part of the Boosting Upward Mobility Project, the Urban Institute partnered with eight localities to help them identify local conditions that enable or prevent upward mobility and racial equity. With Urban’s technical assistance, two localities, Ramsey County, Minnesota, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, engaged in a mobility action planning process that primed them to embed racial equity into their mobility efforts. We found that by conducting a root cause analysis and building internal knowledge of structural racism, local leaders could more effectively incorporate racial equity into their planning processes and work toward reducing historical harms.

Drawing on our work with Ramsey County and Philadelphia, we outline two actions other policymakers and localities can take to embed racial equity into their planning processes and advance upward mobility for people of color.

Conduct a root cause analysis

Ramsey County neighbors Hennepin County, where George Floyd was murdered in 2020. This incident and the ensuing regional unrest required local leaders to scale up ongoing efforts to center racial equity in the county’s strategic planning.

In their Mobility Action Plan (MAP), Ramsey incorporated an analysis of the root causes of inequities in the community. This analysis revealed how historical harms, such as redlining and racial covenants (PDF)—which explicitly prohibited selling or renting homes to residents who were not white—led to disparities in employment, education, food security, and access to welfare for Ramsey’s residents of color.

In their MAP, leaders outlined a plan to address the root causes of these inequities; achieve racially just outcomes in areas such as income, early childhood development, food security, health, and public safety; and enable all county residents to achieve upward mobility. For other localities looking to advance upward mobility and racial equity, conducting a root cause analysis can help identify where and how to target strategic interventions.

Build internal knowledge of structural racism and racial equity

In Philadelphia, city officials recognized that addressing racial inequities would improve the impact of their upward mobility programs. But to do so, they needed to build more internal knowledge of structural racism and racial equity.

As part of the Boosting Upward Mobility Project, the Philadelphia team participated in a training on root cause analysis, racial equity, and ways to apply antiracist principles when measuring their work’s impact. City staff learned the importance of looking beyond the number of people served by a program (i.e., output), and evaluating whether and how people benefited from the programs (i.e., outcomes). This framework—called results-based accountability—also helped them consider how structural racism may affect program outcomes.

This and other trainings have helped key staff better understand how to advance equity in their upward mobility work. Other localities can build knowledge of structural racism and racial equity by developing trainings internally or bringing in external experts.

To advance upward mobility for people of color and prevent the perpetuation of historical harm, policymakers should consider racial equity throughout their mobility planning processes.