Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to enter into a not-for-profit service contract with YWCA Columbus to conduct a community stakeholder engagement process and develop a racial equity plan for the City of Columbus.
Columbus prides itself on being a diverse city that welcomes all people. In August 2020, Columbus City Council created an internal equity team that meets monthly. This internal task force developed project proposals to be implemented and works to provide recommendations and next steps for how Council can work to advance anti-racism and racial equity in Columbus. In addition, the team hosts monthly meetings that include educational components, progress updates from the Steering Committee, and roundtable discussions on topics related to racial equity.
From these conversations evolved the need to create a strategy to engage those most impacted by racial inequity in Columbus. Although Columbus City Council has recognized racism as a public health crisis, we have yet to truly hear the stories of Black and Brown people in Columbus who have been or are currently impacted by systemic racism. By establishing a community-driven engagement process, we can hear directly from our residents, discuss data and invite experts to assess the history of systemic racism, segregation, and other race-based harms in the City of Columbus; explore the present-day manifestations of that history; and ultimately develop a list of recommendations to begin repairing the harms that have been inflicted and necessary for the welfare of the City of Columbus. At the end of this process, Columbus will be able to take steps toward implementing legislation to address the findings.
YWCA Columbus has created a robust action plan to execute over the next two years that includes the following:
-Develop and recruit Community Advisory Participants comprised of community organizations and individuals to develop a trust-centered and commun...
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