It's time for the mic drop on each
show by going deep on one topic
affecting our community and hope
we can all learn a little more.
In the wake of George Floyd's murder and
the summer of social advocacy it sparked.
The words inclusion, equality and
equity were bandied about quite a bit.
Corporations and school boards committed
themselves to the concept of each,
as did the sporting world and
federal and state legislators.
Boards were convened,
offices were open.
Directors and advisers were appointed.
It was a very hopeful time.
But that was over two years ago.
And since then, we will.
I've seen very little real forward
movement on these commitments,
and some instances I've seen
those who are at best paying lip
service to these ideals while
maintaining a status quo neutrality.
And in others I've seen backwards movement.
I'll come back to this point later.
There are those some corporations,
organizations and state legislators
who had already been doing the
work and have earnestly kept
that or increased their efforts.
In fact,
it happened to be employed by one
and it happened to live in a city
that has shown a commitment to it.
Yesterday,
Mayor Muriel Bowser and Amber Hewitt,
the director of the Mayor's
Office of Racial Equity,
released the district's first
ever racial equity action Plan,
which seeks to map out steps DC
government will take to reduce
inequities and improve life for all.
Washingtonians.
Hear that?
All Washingtonians and they
want your insights and feedback,
which you can submit online
through January 2nd.
Mayor Bowser was very clear about
the reasoning behind the plan,
saying it is our charge and our
responsibility to put in place
policies that are intentional
about ending structural racism and
reversing the legacies of policies
that intentionally locked black
and brown Washingtonians out of
opportunity and the ability to build wealth.
And that is what is often forgotten.
It was intentional policies that
drove the inequities we see
today in areas like education,
economic empowerment,
housing and healthcare, just to name a few.
And for the record,
there's also a difference between equality,
defined as the quality or state
of being equal, and equity,
defined as the equality of
being fair and impartial.
Hopefully,
this program will help to shrink the
gaps within our community so that all
residents can live fair and impartial lives.
That seems like a goal everybody
should be able to get behind, right?
Wrong, wrong.
At least not in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
For a time, the Commonwealth,
under the direction of Governor
Ralph Northam,
had a robust commitment to
fighting racial inequities,
addressing them through policies
aimed at state hiring practices,
education and healthcare.
But then Glenn Younkin entered office
and declared war on the concepts,
rescinding policies and programs and
Virginia's Department of Education,
addressing Diversity, Inclusion and equity.
For being divisive.
Just think about that Bizarro world.
Logic programs working to end
divisions are called divisive.
In fact,
Governor Younkin has abandoned
the word equity,
as have other state legislators.
Equity is a dirty word for
those with a 0 sum mentality,
the ones who think that the advancement
of for others means losses for themselves.
Before myself and the like minded,
it simply means a level playing field.
That is the goal and it's a worthy 1.
Which is why I love my mayor,
and I salute mayor Bowser,
Amber Hewitt and everybody at the ORE for
the good works that they're trying to do.