Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Principles
Building An Inclusive Retail Industry For All
Our JEDI Principles
The Washington Retail Association embraces Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) as core principles that guide our advocacy, partnerships, and member services. These values reflect the reality of today’s retail workforce—where people of color represent 34% of employees and 75% of job seekers express a preference for diverse work environments.
Our Commitments:
- We seek Justice to identify and remove systemic barriers and disadvantages, opening access to resources and opportunities.
- We are committed to Equity so that each individual can grow and thrive. An individual’s race, personal background, or individual characteristics from a statistical sense, should no longer predict their life outcomes.
- Through Diversity we seek to reflect our community, encompassing the broad tapestry of people, life experiences and perspectives.
- Through Inclusion we are determined to amplify each person’s voice and eliminate biases regardless of their abilities, background or experience.
We value all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, identity, sexual orientation, nationality or disability—and recognize that respect and belonging are the foundation of our commitment to those we serve.
Putting JEDI Principles into Action
Retail Workforce Initiative
The diversity within Washington’s retail workforce inspired the launch of our Retail Workforce Initiative, designed to create clear, desirable career pathways for both entry-level and incumbent retail workers. Through this effort, we champion safe, welcoming workplaces where JEDI principles can thrive—empowering employees and strengthening the communities’ retailers serve.
Accomplishments and Ongoing Endeavor
- Industry Recognized Credentials (IRC) recognition – Through partnerships with retailers across Washington State, we collaborated with the National Retail Federal Foundation (NRFF) to secure IRC recognition by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instructions for the four retail industry credentials developed by retailers.
- Legislation to Advance Understanding of Retail Workforce Needs – Our team advocated for the drafting and passage of legislation that resulted in the delivery of two retail workforce reports to the Legislature.
- HB 2019 passed in 2022 required the Workforce Training Board to generate a report (Careers in Retail – Education and Training Report to the Legislature in 2023.
- Using some of the recommendations from the 2023 report, our team worked with the Legislature to pass SB 6296 in 2024. This bill requires the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges to establish a retail workgroup consisting of higher education, business, labor, and workforce development representatives to create two deliverables – education opportunities and programs to support the retail sector and recommend four colleges to implement pilot programs that offer short-term credentials for the retail workforce by October 2025. Access the final report HERE.
Careers in Retail Month Recognition – Since 2017, we have worked with the Governor’s Office to secure September as Careers in Retail Month every year. Each year’s proclamation includes data and information showcasing the retail industry’s contribution to our state’s economy, government funding, job opportunities and community vibrancy.