Team Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI)

Vision Statement

Team Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Team JEDI) is an employee-led initiative, driven by the county shared values of respect, accountability, integrity, equity, and stewardship. We strive to promote and model leadership and expertise related to equity, inclusion, and belonging, through the various roles we play and the work we do across the organization.

As agents of institutional change, we share responsibility in leading Tompkins County government into a future of inclusive excellence where all employees treat each other, and the public, respectfully and without bias.

JEDI meets on the third Friday of every month from 1:30pm - 3:00pm.

Meetings are hybrid (usually in person at Scott Heyman Conference Room, located in the old jail, and zoom).

Role of Team JEDI at Tompkins County

Team JEDI will work to ensure equitable outcomes among programs, services, and policies within Tompkins County. It will do so by partnering with the Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Committee (WDIC) and the Chief Equity and Diversity Officer (CEDO). Members of Team JEDI commit to embedding equity practices at every level of the organization and strive to foster a culture of continuous learning, assessment, and growth. Team JEDI works to prioritize ongoing improvement of policies, structures, and practices to reduce institutional harm and promote equity.

JEDI Projects

Policy Committee

Works on using an equity lens to evaluate and update County Policies as needed. So far, this committee has worked on Tompkins County Diversity Equity and Inclusion Policy and the County's first MWBE Policy.

JEDI Marketing/Communications Committee

Committee updates coming soon

GARE

Tompkins County is a proud member of GARE, the Government Alliance on Race and Equity, a national network of 400+ government jurisdictions working to advance racial equity in the communities they serve. As a county employee, you can register for a free account on the GARE Online Community using your @tompkins-co.org email, and access newsletters, resources, and an in-network digest with tools and opportunities available exclusively to GARE members.

Did You Know? You Have Access to a National Racial Equity Network!

Head to racialequityalliance.org to get started.

Facing Race 2026

Facing Race 2026 will take place in Raleigh, North Carolina, just over 70 years after the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. During this decades-long period of activism our ancestors fought and died for the rights we now enjoy. Today, we find ourselves in a fight against authoritarianism... against the levers of power and wealth that aim to divide us, take away our rights, and push us back decades.

Known as the “City of Oaks,” Raleigh has a deep history of both struggle and present-day brilliance. The city symbolizes the resilience of communities whose strength lies in history that cannot be erased.

By gathering in Raleigh, we recognize the South not only as a site of historic struggle, but as a place of imagination and movement-building that continues to shape the path forward. Here, the roots of civil rights organizing run deep, and they continue to rise in power. Here, we will move forward our vision of a world where communities of color have governing power and thrive. Our progress may be under attack, but our power remains rooted in community, solidarity, and shared values. Here, we will honor and celebrate our roots in resistance and rise to meet the challenges and opportunities of this present day together as we build a just, democratic society for the future.