On Tuesday, Sept. 17 Council President Nancy Navarro held a press conference to introduce Bill 27-19, the Racial Equity and Social Justice Act, to create a Racial Equity and Social Justice Program for Montgomery County government.
Work on the Racial Equity and Social Justice Act officially began in April 2018 when the Council passed a resolution spearheaded by Council President Navarro, to create the framework to develop a racial equity policy. Since that time Council President Navarro, Councilmembers and the County Executive have met with community members throughout the county on racial equity and social justice issues.
Formal community conversations on racial equity and social justice, which were co-hosted by Council President Navarro and County Executive Elrich, began in March. These conversations in Silver Spring, Germantown and White Oak, and a youth meeting at Gaithersburg High School, were attended by more than 750 community members. Various community groups also hosted individual meetings at nonprofit organizations, religious institutions, community centers and in private homes.
These conversations centered around the fact that decisions are being made by local government on issues like education, housing, health care and transportation without a full picture of how these decisions impact under-represented communities experiencing inequities across the county. A Racial Equity and Social Justice Program is needed so that county government decisions can be made through a racial equity lens.
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