By Aaron Allen
The Seattle Medium
The City of Renton as well as other surrounding municipalities are being put on notice. that the lack of employment and business opportunities with them by minorities and minority-owned firms will no longer go unchallenged.
A group of community activists, led by Eddie Rye, Jr. and Charlie James, are calling attention to what they claim are a lack of hiring and business opportunities for people of color with the City of Renton. The group claims that minorities businesses and employment are not equally represented in the city of Renton.
While the group is focused on the overall number of minorities working and doing business with the city, they are placing particular emphasis on employment and engagement of African Americans and African American owned firms. According to Rye, out of 150 firefighters in Renton there is only one who is African American.
“We are not opposed to immigrants, refugees, women or other minorities, but we are insisting that descendants of United States slaves participate in the economic pie,” says Rye.
The Washington State Civil Rights Coalition, spearheaded by James, put in a request for Public Records from the City of Renton regarding the city’s engagement of minority and minority owned firms. The requested information includes:
- The number of employees in each Renton City department.
- The number of minority employees by race in each department, including identifying Descendants of United States Slaves (African Americans) separately from others of African descent and/or immigrants.
- The number of supervisors in each department; the number of administrator in each department; and the names of each minority supervisor or administrator in Renton City departments.
- The total dollar value of each construction project that the City of Renton contracted out in 2016. Minority participation on each project, indicating dollars received by minority firms by race and separating out the participation of Descendants of United States Slaves from others of African descent and/or immigrants.
- The names of companies that received professional/technical services/consultant contracts and the dollar value of each contract also indicating which of the firms identified are minority owned.
- The names of companies that were used as suppliers for 2015 by contract or purchase order and the total dollar value for the supplies, and indicate which is a minority owned and those owned by Descendants of United States Slaves.
Although the city has yet to answer all of the issues as of press time, James and Rye say that this is only the beginning and are adamant about holding other cities in the area accountable as well.
“We are going to check on Kent, we’re going to check on Seatac, Tukwila, we going to check on Seattle and King County, too,” says Rye. “We are going to check on everybody to ensure that the descendants of the United States slaves are not discriminated against.”
James believes that the on-going dialogue with the City of Renton will be the catalyst for change throughout the area.
“We named our County after Martin Luther King Junior and now in these dark political times its time the county must live up to the name,” said James. “We need a place in America where social and racial justice is part of the culture rather than a political or social after thought. It is easy to say what kind of country we don’t want but the real challenge is building the environment we want the rest of the nation to emulate.”
“We need a place in America where the flame of freedom and justice shines very bright. If it is not Martin Luther King County where should it be?” James continued.
“The city of Renton is just the first city in this county we will have a dialogue with,” added James. “We want all of them [cities in King County] to step up to the plate and make an example in hiring and contracting for the rest of the nation. Let’s make this county a special place in the nation.”.
Rye and James believes this is not just an issue of employment, but also of gentrification as people are being forced to move out of the area.
Rye continues, “because of the facts if people are not getting contracts, they’re not getting jobs, they can’t stay or live in their current condition and right now this gentrification movement has gone to Renton.”
The fight for equality and opportunity seems to be an ongoing theme. Whether inequality is perpetuated on purpose by outside influences or self-inflicting, this argument remains before the bench. But to those like Charlie James and Eddie Rye this is life and they will continue to fight for what’s right.
“If you don’t make an effort, you can’t make a change,” proclaims Rye.
