UCS’S RACIAL EQUITY JOURNEY

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is undergoing an organizational transformation to center justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) following a 2020 racial reckoning. The organization has identified that previous decentralized efforts failed to address structural inequities for BIPOC staff and that rapid growth outpaced its human resource capacity. To address this, UCS is integrating racial equity into its technical analysis and policy advocacy, recruiting diverse leadership, and establishing a dedicated JEDI office and Advisory Committee. Key goals include promoting equitable outcomes for overburdened communities and redefining a unified organizational vision to better integrate science with JEDI principles.

• UCS identified that its previous decentralized attempts to diversify staff and advocacy were insufficient because they did not address the structural and practice-based inequities experienced by Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) staff.
• The organization recognized a gap between its rapid growth in budget, membership, and staff and the development of its internal infrastructure, specifically regarding human resource capacity and JEDI support.
• UCS is integrating JEDI principles into its external science-based advocacy by incorporating racial equity into technical analysis and designing policy positions to benefit underrepresented and overburdened communities, including efforts to include environmental justice in climate legislation.
• To institutionalize these changes, UCS is implementing structural updates, including the recruitment of a new president and chief people officer committed to JEDI, the creation of a JEDI office (scheduled for fall 2021), and the establishment of a JEDI Advisory Committee to the Board.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2021). UCS’S RACIAL EQUITY JOURNEY. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/Building-the-Road-as-We-Travel-fix.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. UCS’S RACIAL EQUITY JOURNEY. 2021. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/Building-the-Road-as-We-Travel-fix.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=UCS’S RACIAL EQUITY JOURNEY |date=July 2021 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/Building-the-Road-as-We-Travel-fix.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2021ucss, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{UCS’S RACIAL EQUITY JOURNEY}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/Building-the-Road-as-We-Travel-fix.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }