The Yakima City Council is looking into establishing  a committee to promote Equity & Social Justice which they say is another way to say making sure city resources and services are spread fairly across all of the city’s residents.   To help in the process, the council has conducted an Equity Assessment and some of the results are now available on the council website. https://yakima.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=edb33521fed7400e839ae1b1e7ad3fcc

Westside consultant Benita Horn made a presentation at a study session today based on her many years of experience working with private and public entities in the Northwest.  She spoke of success in Seattle and of her current work in Renton.  She says institutional and systematic racism exists everywhere and it’s up to the City Council to find it in its policies and procedures and rework them for fairness for all.  Her presentation included a six point blueprint to consider in the process of change.  Counsel seemed very interested in what she had to say and suggested there may be a relationship established in the future.

In her introduction Horn said she saw some change racial equality in the 1960’s but not equity.  She hoped that would be reached for her grandchildren today, but she notes that it hasn’t happened yet.

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