Friend,

Did you get a chance to watch Eric’s speech? 

He just addressed Indiana on the issues of equity and inclusion, and we wanted to make sure you got a chance to see what he had to say.

“What I’ve laid out today are the first steps in a broad effort to make sure Indiana is a place where every Hoosier has an equal opportunity to achieve our founders’ vision of ‘Life, Liberty and that pursuit of Happiness.’” – Governor Holcomb

Eric delivered a thoughtful, open, and groundbreaking speech on his vision for making historic progress together on so many critical issues - criminal justice reform, education and workforce development, transparency, health care and more.

After months of speaking with Black leaders and stakeholders statewide – including business owners, college presidents, law enforcement, corporate executives, church leaders, and everyday citizens – he laid out a plan that addresses the root causes of inequity and takes action to promote equality, inclusion, and opportunity for all.

You can watch the full speech here.

We had our crew pull together the biggest takeaways from his speech — please check them out below. 

Modernizing Policing & Criminal Justice Reform

“If you want change, don’t throw a brick; use a brick to lay a foundation for something better.” – Gov. Holcomb

1. Governor Holcomb’s first priority is the protection of our citizens AND our officers.
2. Indiana is increasing minority representation among police officers, and it will work to modernize training and work with the legislature on criminal justice reforms.
3. To protect our citizens and officers, Governor Holcomb is mandating body cameras for every frontline state trooper by Spring 2021.
4. To modernize officer training, Governor Holcomb is directing a 3rd-party, top-down review of our state police and law enforcement academy curriculum and training, including use of force, de-escalation training, and implicit bias training.
5. Governor Holcomb will work with the legislature to add more civilian representation to the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) board.
6. Governor Holcomb will continue working with members of the legislature, judiciary and prosecutors on ideas that can be brought forward during the 2021 legislative session to collaborate on sentencing reform, earned credit time, jail overcrowding and exorbitant fees.

Promoting Economic Opportunity Through Education & Workforce Development

“I believe that the surest path to equal opportunity is with an high-quality education.” – Gov. Holcomb

1. Black students have lower high school graduation rates and lower college enrollment.
   Governor Holcomb will direct Indiana’s new Secretary of Education to make one of their first tasks to look at actions that can be taken immediately to improve minority teacher recruitment, learning gaps and other areas to bridge the divide.
2. State leaders will submit specific recommendations on how the state may adjust policies for all our workforce programs to create greater opportunity for people of color.

Reforming State Government

1. Governor Holcomb will appoint Indiana’s first-ever Chief Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity Officer who will report directly to him as a member of his cabinet.
2. This person will focus solely on improving equity, inclusion and opportunity across all state government operations as well as drive systemic change to remove hurdles in the government workplace and services we provide.

In short, this new Cabinet member will help every state agency raise their game.

Increasing Transparency

1. As Governor Holcomb said, we’re putting “our cards on the table, face up.” Indiana’s Management Performance Hub will create a Public Disparity Data Portal to show the state’s progress on these issues.
2. The portal will track information on Pre-K enrollment; graduation, college enrollment and employment rates; access to capital; Healthy Indiana Plan enrollment; foster care placement rates; incarceration and recidivism rates, etc.

And, of course, this isn’t a new topic. We’re already taking action on many important issues facing Black Hoosiers:

1. Minority representation among graduates of the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy has increased from 14% to 28% between 2016 and 2019.
2. Indiana’s infant mortality rate, which disproportionately affects many Black mothers and children, is at its lowest rate since 2012.
3. Governor Holcomb set a goal for Indiana’s infant mortality rate to be the best lowest in the Midwest by 2024.
4. He launched Indiana’s OB Navigator program that helps mothers and babies in Indiana’s highest-risk areas get the care they need.
5. Next Level Jobs provides free job training to help Hoosiers skill-up for high-wage, in-demand jobs, and has now helped more than 10,000 Hoosiers. Governor Holcomb added an additional $50 million to bolster career training this year.

Please take some time to watch Governor Holcomb’s full speech, and if you can, share it with your friends, family and contacts. 

You can also read the full speech here.

Thank you for reading, 

-Holcomb Crew