Diversity at the Democratic National Committee

May 17, 2018

Representation matters, George. As Democrats, we value inclusion not simply because a diverse coalition is a strong coalition, but because we know that in order to expand opportunities for all Americans, all Americans must have a seat at the table. That's why we're building a team that knows what it takes to win in every community -- and the report below is a transparent examination of the DNC's efforts to build a party that truly reflects every single Democrat. In presenting this report, we aim to both hold ourselves accountable and provide a roadmap for our partners within the progressive movement.  Leadership Last year brought about an 80% increase in DNC officers of color. We now have a more diverse leadership pool than at any point in our party's history. We've more than doubled the number of African-American officers and increased the number of Latino officers. Our senior leadership, which includes all department heads, also saw impressive diversity gains. We've seen a 67% increase in leaders of color and a 40% increase in women leaders. Women now make up two-thirds of directors at the DNC. Last month, we invited prominent Black women leaders to come to our headquarters for a collaborative strategy session on our 2018 African American outreach and engagement efforts. This is part of our ongoing leadership strategy to be more inclusive and connected to community leaders and stakeholders. Staff A major part of the new leadership's rebuilding process included increasing staffing levels from historic lows following the 2016 cycle in order to ramp up the organizing and mobilizing efforts that led to the past year's victories. As Tom Perez often notes, personnel is policy and reflects an organization's priorities. The urgent need to staff up at the DNC provided an immediate opportunity to put our commitment into action. Under our new leadership, the DNC has increased: African-American staff by 36% Asian-American/Pacific Islander staff by 30% Latino staff by 340% LGBTQ staff by 28% Overall, 44% of DNC staffers are people of color. 51% of DNC staff are women. Internships We know that internships serve as the gateway into a career in politics. But the opportunity costs of unpaid internships are too burdensome for too many young people who are otherwise qualified -- and we know that this disproportionately affects young people of color, and other historically marginalized communities. Tom Perez promised to end unpaid internships, and for the first time in DNC history, the spring 2018 class of interns received a stipend. We are excited by the increased diversity: Under the new policy 42% of our spring interns are people of color. Contractors Like the staffing policy, we believe that the contracting and procurement process should create opportunities and be accessible and transparent, and our vendors should reflect the diversity of our country. Tom Perez followed through on his campaign commitments related to supplier diversity. All contracts and contractors will be reviewed before renewal -- there is no longer automatic renewal in practice or policy. The DNC has also eliminated many of the pre-existing contracts. We intentionally brought many services and talent in house to cut expenses as part of our rebuilding effort. Our Chief Operating Officer, Laura Chambers, manages all diversity initiatives for the organization and has begun a new contract approval process that tracks all vendors receiving contracts of at least $5,000 in much greater detail  --  by gender, racial, and ethnic diversity. Now outside consulting contracts only make up about 2% of the DNC's operating budget, with 29% of that money spent on contracts going to women and minority-owned businesses. We have also put out a national call for diverse vendors to submit their qualifications and intend to share this database of vendors so it is a resource to state parties and our partners in the Democratic community. Moving forward Democrats believe that our leadership should always reflect the diversity of our party and our country. It is a political and moral imperative. We simply cannot be effective advocates for the communities we represent if we do not accurately reflect them at every single level --  from staff, to party officers, to elected officials. Our work isn't complete, but we've made unprecedented progress. And we can say with confidence that we've spent this last year keeping our promise to build a Democratic Party that provides a voice for every single Democrat. Thank you for your continued support, Xochitl Xochitl Hinojosa Communications Director Democratic National Committee P.S. -- The key to our party's success in the years to come will be making investments in the women and people of color who form the backbone of our party. Democrats will win because our party accurately reflects the communities that we hope to represent. DONATE