KERA’s Commitment To Diversity, Equity, Inclusion And Belonging

 
Public media belongs to you. All of you. KERA is committed to representing and celebrating our entire community.

We believe in DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion — in all aspects of our organization, including our service to audiences, the makeup of our staff and the communities represented in our programming. This is a core priority that is infused in every action we take. As a public service, KERA holds a responsibility to engage the communities we reach equitably – to serve the underserved and create opportunities for those who have been overlooked.

Our goal is to provide a culture of belonging – on the air, online and in the halls of our facilities, and our interactions with the community – that includes diversity of ethnicity, race, gender and gender identity, people with disabilities, age, language, sexual orientation and socioeconomic background.

Click each section below to expand it and learn more.

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  DEI goals

  
  In pursuit of its commitment to diversity throughout the organization, KERA has established the following goals:

  – For all audiences to find representation of their culture and identity in KERA’s programming.

  – For KERA’s staff to reflect the diversity of the community it serves – including in positions of leadership.

  – For KERA’s Board of Directors and Community Advisory Board to include representation that expresses our commitment to DEI.

  – For KERA’s news and public affairs content to include a diversity of experiences, identities and perspectives – and for this content to reflect equitable and inclusive representation of the voices it amplifies.

  – For KERA to build and maintain strong, engaged relationships with communities across North Texas that rely on programming that is free, educational and accessible to all.

  – For KERA to cultivate and actively maintain a sense of belonging throughout the organization.


 
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  Practices and policies to promote DEI

  
   
  ▸ DEI in KERA’s Content

  Effective storytelling relies on a wide variety of experiences on both sides of the microphone and throughout our digital platforms. We are dedicated to being more participatory in terms of who is doing the storytelling. We are committed to amplifying the voices of communities that have been historically marginalized and misrepresented. This includes active steps towards reaching audiences we haven’t engaged with before through different platforms. We strive to earn trust by representing communities authentically and elevating stories throughout the region we serve.
   

  ▸ DEI Advisory Council

  KERA maintains an internal DEI Advisory Council tasked with advancing our goals in this area and providing ongoing accountability. The council includes employees across multiple departments, and senior managers do not serve as members in order to encourage open dialogue and provide leadership opportunities for staff.
   

  ▸ Hiring and HR Procedures

  We are committed to providing employment and promotion opportunities to individuals of all backgrounds, experiences and identities. This includes focused recruitment in diverse spaces to identify talented candidates who may not be represented in legacy applicant pools. Our hiring processes are structured to include diverse representation on hiring committees. We also believe in supporting long-term career development in order to prepare diverse talent for leadership roles within the organization.
  Further, KERA offers paid internship opportunities to cultivate the next generation of public media professionals. We are committed to equity and transparency in compensation among our staff.
  More information about our employment recruitment sources and efforts can be found in our annual FCC EEO Recruitment Report.
   

  ▸ Diversity Demographics

  KERA believes that attracting and retaining diverse staff is crucial to serving our community and fulfilling our mission to serve North Texans through public television, radio and multimedia resources that educate, engage, inspire and entertain. KERA’s workforce has a wealth of diversity in race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability and socio-economic status. KERA is an equal opportunity employer and is dedicated to building a culturally and ethnically diverse staff and creating a working environment that promotes racial equity and inclusiveness.

  Our employee population in September 2022 was 124, which proves consistent growth from the 111 in September 2021 and 108 employees in September 2020. In 2022, 43% of KERA’s employees identified as People of Color (POC), which has been steadily growing from prior years, where 40% in 2021 and 36% in 2020 identified as POC. In 2022, 63% identified as female, which has remained steady from prior years of 2021 and 2020. Our employees are multigenerational, having been born from 1951 to 2000.

  Our diversity goals extend to our Board of Directors and our Community Advisory Board. KERA’s Board of Directors is comprised of 39 voting members, 54% of whom identify as women and 41% of whom are POC. We’ve experienced steady growth in POC Board members from 39% in 2021 and 27% in 2020. The female Board membership has remained strong with more than half identifying as female for the last three years. KERA’s Community Advisory Board (CAB) has 56 members in 2022, 55% of whom identify as women and 75% as POC. The CAB’s female and POC membership has remained constant for the last three years. Both KERA’s Board of Directors and CAB members are multigenerational and represent a variety of professional and life experiences.
   

  ▸ Staff Training

  All employees attend training to promote greater awareness of issues related to DEI. Managers complete additional training related to the role of DEI in their supervisory relationships.
  Additionally, we are committed to providing opportunities for staff to deepen their engagement in DEI work, including workshops and professional development sessions.
   

  ▸ DEI in Performance Management

  We believe enhancing DEI is a shared responsibility that relies on every member of our staff and board. Therefore, all employees include personal goals related to DEI in their annual performance management. These individual goals reflect each person’s role in advancing our overall commitment to DEI. Our progress in this area is evaluated and shared quarterly in the president’s reports to the Board of Directors.
   

  ▸ Public Media for All

  We are proud to support the mission of Public Media for All, a nationwide coalition of public broadcasting workers, led by people of color. This initiative unites KERA with stations that share these values and are committed to specific actions. Learn more.
   
  ▸ Video Collection: Stories & Cultures within the United States

  KERA’s curated video collection highlights the stories and cultures of different racial and ethnic groups across America. Through these videos, we want to amplify the voices of our community and foster a greater sense of understanding and connection. Learn even more with additional public media resources located at the bottom of this collection.
  Click on one of the collection links below to be taken to the video collection that interests you.

  • Asian American Collection
  • Black/African American Collection
  • Chicano and Latino Collection
  • Indigenous American Collection
  • Jewish American Collection
  • Middle Eastern American Collection
  • Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Collection


 

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  DEI growth plans

  
  KERA is committed to continuing its growth in diversity, equity and inclusion for the Organization as a whole and to obtain this we plan to:

  – Create an audience development and engagement plan based on the findings of a multicultural audience research study to help identify gaps in our coverage as well as opportunities to authentically connect and engage with diverse communities.

  – Create an annual DEI report.

  – Launch Employee Resource Groups

  – Continue an assessment of KERA’s workplace culture through regular pulse surveys of staff.

  – Continue staff training on topics such as cultural competency and responsiveness, racial and cultural trauma, and allyship.

  – Introduce and socialize KERA’s racial equity policy and theory of change with key stakeholders, including KERA’s staff, Board of Directors and Community Advisory Board.
   
  
  

Photo: Tim Mossholder