For many years, the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) has fostered an ongoing and active public discussion about social equity and its importance to budgeting, human resources, diversity in academia and other topics. 

Not surprisingly, ASPA’s focus on this topic – one of the organization’s “Four Pillars of Public Administration” – has led to the creation of the H. George Frederickson Center for Social Equity. Planning for the center began in 2020 and continued through 2023, guided by a 12-member advisory committee that established the center’s governance structure, bylaws and mission.

Today, June the 19th – when many are commemorating Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when slaves in Galveston, Texas found out they had been freed – feels like an appropriate time to take note that the center, and its newly appointed board, is poised to begin to make a difference in this important field. Its goals are to advance the cause of social equity by fostering collaboration both internally and externally, promoting training, furthering research, developing tools, and launching and joining initiatives that support and further attention to social equity in public administration. 

The June 12 edition of ASPA’s The Bridge focuses on June as “Equity Month” and quotes Mary Guy and Sean McCandless on the principles of social equity, as established by H. George Frederickson, a renowned professor at the University of Kansas who was a pioneer in this field and first coined the term. As they write, when he first introduced that now-common phrasing, “social equity had to do with the fairness of the organization, its management, and its delivery of public services. Now ensconced in the canon, the term’s meaning has broadened to encompass the policy formulation and rulemaking aspect as well as outcomes.”

Guy, who was part of the advisory committee, is one of the 11 board members. The others are Katherine Barrett (chair); Domonic Bearfield; Marlon Brown, Agatha Caraballo; Warren Haynes; Michael Jacobson; Chris Koliba; Valerie Lemmie; Georgia Noon-Sherrod and Brian N. Williams. 

The Center’s newly active website, created by ASPA liaison Karen Garrett, is already beginning to track social equity news, events and resources across the field. Planning is underway for webinars and future projects. 

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