Wil Johnson has a vision for Snohomish County.
“That people’s needs are met, that people are seen, heard, valued and safe,” he said “That I don’t have to look over my shoulder because I identify differently than the people who are around me. I don’t have to worry about someone breaking into my car because their needs aren’t met. How do we create a community where people feel safe and supported?”
As Snohomish County’s new director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, he’s ready to work toward making his vision real.
Johnson grew up in Atlanta in a predominantly Black neighborhood. He saw at a young age how people can be excluded because of their differences.
“My mom told me, ‘Hey, we have a family next door to us, a white family.’ She said to not treat them any differently than anybody else. And I was like, ‘Yeah, well, why would I?’”
But when Johnson started kindergarten, he noticed that some of his classmates didn’t talk to the two white students in class. So he tried to make them feel welcome.
“I’ve just always had that passion for showing up for people,” he said.
Johnson heads the county’s Office of So-
cial Justice, established in 2020 amid widespread racial justice protests in the wake of
the murder of George Floyd by police officers. The office “seeks to dismantle the individual, institutional, and structural racism that exists in the county” and to fight all types of discrimination that exist in Snohomish County. The director position had been vacant since the beginning of this year.
“We are so grateful to welcome Wil to our team,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers when his office announced Johnson’s hiring in September. “His experience in building strong relationships, educating diverse audiences, and finding ways to address systemic barriers will be invaluable.
“I am deeply committed to having a county government that does not only talk about equity but finds the places where we need to do better and takes the steps to make real change.”
Johnson served in the U.S. Army as a medic before coming to the Puget Sound area and studying communications at the University of Washington-Tacoma. He worked in special education in various school districts and spent two years managing special education programs for the Edmonds School District.
He started his own equity and leadership consulting firm and was eventually selected as the first director of equity and inclusion for the Snohomish School District.
“When I started with the school district, I was really clear that this isn’t the Wil show,” he said. “This is something that each of us within the district has a role in, as well as the community as a whole.”
He focused on forging connections with local government, businesses, and community organizations.
In 2023 he created a podcast called “At-Homish” where he shares insights and talks to leaders from around the county about fostering belonging. The title comes from the fact that he is not originally from the area, but feels at home in Snohomish County.
Johnson said partnerships are the key to his work. “Collaboratively, we’re the ones who set the culture and climate in our community.”
Moving to a countywide role felt like a natural next step. “When this (Snohomish County DEI Officer) opportunity became available, people were like, ‘Well, this is what you’re already doing. You’re already connected with people in various areas of the county. Why not have this be the official role?’ So I applied.”
Workplace anti-discrimination training might be the first thing people think of when they hear the term “DEI.” Training county government employees is part of the Office of Social Justice’s work, but Johnson’s goals go far beyond that.
He wants to tackle the economic and health issues at the forefront of the conversation – mental health, homelessness, and substance abuse – by pinpointing gaps in the work currently being done and addressing them alongside government leaders and community organizations.
When Somers created the Office of Social Justice in 2020, he set ambitious targets for the new office to reform policing and justice systems in the county. Some key goals never got off the ground, such as bail reform and a police oversight board. Tight budget constraints, logistical concerns around state laws, and a lack of political will hindered the office’s efforts in its early days according to staff at the time. The office has not made significant efforts around police reform since then.
Johnson said it is valuable to have a police presence in communities and strong relationships between people and police. “I always struggle with any kind of conversation that involves defunding the police,” he said. He wants to reframe the discussion around ensuring all public safety and mental health agencies, including law enforcement, have the resources to keep people safe and supported.
In his new role in county government, he wants to expand on the collaborative partnerships he built in his previous work and form new ones. The Office of Social Justice has a substantial budget these days and runs a grant program — the Community Sponsorship Initiative, which provides up to $5,000 to organizations working to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Johnson is also looking forward to hosting regular meetings that bring community groups and civic leaders together to foster communication and collaboration.
What county organizations does he plan to work with? “Can we just say all of them?” he said and laughed, adding: “That’s being inclusive!” Johnson emphasized listening over talking when it comes to connecting with people and communities. “I don’t plan to be that person that off in some office somewhere, writing up something and saying, ‘OK, go do this.’”
Speaking to the Beacon in his first full week on the job, Johnson was preparing to meet with his Office of Social Justice team to go over a plan the County drafted previously and discuss their next steps.
A major element of the office’s work is to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion within Snohomish County offices and agencies through training and other resources.
In November of last year, a consulting firm the County hired released a report based on focus groups and survey responses from over 1,700 Snohomish County government employees. Their results revealed that even within county government, there’s still a long way to go.
Nearly one in five employees surveyed did not feel a sense of inclusion in their workplace. Less than half of Black employees and two-thirds of LGBTQ+ employees felt all parts of their background and identity were accepted at work.
Johnson said one of his first steps will be to go from floor to floor at the county office to meet people and have genuine conversations. “The first thing is building those relationships, making those connections, and then working through the plan to move things forward.”
Defining DEI
Diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have existed since the 1960s, but only recently did the acronym become a controversial buzzword.
Snohomish County was among the many organizations that added or expanded DEI programs in 2020. Top companies like Google appointed chief diversity officers and released plans for increasing diversity and creating more inclusive workplaces. Then came the backlash.
Anti-DEI politicians, activists, and billionaires lambasted the framework they claim suppresses conservative ideas and unfairly disadvantages people from overrepresented groups, namely white men. Several states in the past year restricted or outright banned diversity-based programs on college campuses.
Some companies, like John Deere, scaled back DEI programs in response to targeted online campaigns. Most companies maintain their prior commitments, though some adjusted or quieted DEI programs in the face of scrutiny and legal concerns, according to a recent survey reported by USA Today.
Despite all the backlash against his field on a national scale, Johnson said he hasn’t faced much of it in the local community, and what pushback he has encountered is the result of misunderstandings about what DEI is and why it’s important.
“When I’m doing this work, there may be one or two people out of 100 who are like, ‘Hey, why are you doing this?’ When I explain the why, it’s like, ‘That makes sense.’”
Johnson described DEI as: “Choosing to acknowledge our different lived experiences, working to meet the needs of people who may have needs that are different from our own, that helps people feel seen and heard which then creates belonging.”
One of the most common criticisms of DEI is that promoting equity over equality unfairly prioritizes underrepresented groups. Explaining the reality of equity, Johnson said, “We each have different needs. And so is it appropriate for organizations to say, ‘I see your need, and here’s now how we’re going to support you,’ as opposed to saying, ‘No, you’re going to get what you get?’”
Johnson said that with DEI work, people often worry about saying the wrong thing or feel they don’t have anything to contribute. “That’s something that I really work to help people realize and share – that everyone has a part in this.”
He said the biggest challenge is increasing understanding. “That’s also a strength because it seems like the way we can go from here is up.”
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