Commitment to Equity

Waterloo Greenway acknowledges its role in and responsibility for building equity. As a community-based organization, we are committed to intentional policies and practices that further justice and fairness and ensure all communities have meaningful access to all we do within our park including workforce opportunities, programmatic engagement, and community & corporate partnerships.

Waterloo Greenway Equity Initiatives

To better serve our community, we continually seek to promote racial and social equity at all levels of our organization in the following areas, guided by our Commitment to Equity:

History – Achieving a greater understanding of our community’s experiences and the sources of institutional racism through the study, appreciation, and education about the history of Waller Creek and Austin.

Programming and Engagement – Working collaboratively with community partners to operationalize culturally proficient and equitable programming, services, and community engagement.

Park Operations – Creating safe, welcoming spaces for park-goers through equitable policies, signage, and cultural proficiency training for all park operations staff. 

Organizational Policies – Regularly reviewing and developing internal policies, procedures, and hiring practices, to better understand inherited systems of institutional racism and to sustain a culture of equity and inclusion in our workplace.

We are thankful for our partnership with the City of Austin, Parks and Recreation Department, and Watershed Protection Department to achieve equity in all our practices.

We Stand With You

We stand in solidarity with the Black community in our city and across the nation. While recent events have led to renewed attention to the challenges faced by Black Americans, the issues are not new. We recognize the long history of systemic inequity.

As an organization, we believe it is our opportunity and responsibility to create public places that promote justice and fairness. We are committed to holding ourselves accountable, and we expect the community to hold us accountable, to make Waterloo Greenway an anti-racist, welcoming space where ALL of Austin can meet equitably, comfortably and safely.