Workforce Development Can’t Be Race-Agnostic, Indiana

When it comes to economic and workforce development in Indiana we tend to spend much (or most) of our time focused on what employers need in order to grow. Some folks do the vital work of centering [though not always leading with] what students or workers need. The very best programs and leaders also focus on what community members want — educationally, economically, personally, and socially.

The true visionaries? They start any conversation about economic and workforce development with questions and conversations about race, ethnicity, and other historically marginalized experiences.

Folks like me who have the benefit of working statewide notice a trend when we travel. Outside of places with a more diverse population — Indianapolis, South Bend, Columbus, Lake County — we hear, “We know Indiana has a racial equity problem, but we can’t or wouldn’t center economic conversations on race because our community is overwhelmingly white.”

Conversations about racial inclusivity shouldn’t be and can’t be limited to cities and “city-ish” places, for moral and economic reasons. What if Indiana as a whole sought to be a welcoming, just place for Black, Brown, immigrant, LGBTQ folks? Now, that’s an economic development strategy.

“What about rural communities?”
“What about poor white folks?”
“I don’t care what color they are, I need workers.”
“Rural communities matter.”
“Don’t we need to take care of the people who already live in small Indiana communities?”

First, a spoiler alert: non-white, non-English-speaking, and LGBTQ already live in small Indiana towns. And those folks getting a job doesn’t mean there are no more jobs for their white neighbors. And of course rural communities matter — see above.

Next: you may want to fill your job more than you want to know someone’s race but their race appears to influence what you pay and if they stay.

Finally, in my experience, what you build to address the trickiest, tallest, systemic barriers people face to economic mobility and justice — say, systemic racism — will help folks facing other barriers. It will change the way a place designs solutions and reacts to problems. I’m not suggesting you ignore your current residents’ needs, but I am suggesting you consider how someone from a marginalized group would fare in whatever you’re designing…

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