By Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan
It’s undeniable, 2020 has shone a bright light on our country’s insidious systemic racism and the disproportional impact on our Black neighbors. As a nation, we all witnessed the national uprising and pain that Black Americans were re-living with the murder of Mr. George Floyd. As Seattle reckons with a global pandemic, the most severe economic crisis in our lifetime, a worsening climate crisis, and a long-overdue racial reckoning, I signed a budget that commits the City of Seattle to making a first of its kind investment of more than $100 million into our communities of color. But it is not enough to just adopt budgets. To truly make a difference, we must center these investments in communities that we know have been most impacted by systemic racism – our Black and Native American neighbors. The data is undeniable that the Black community has experienced these disparities disproportionately – and by most indicators of community wellness and access to opportunity, it is clear the Native community is also severely impacted.
We must create a Seattle where communities are tied not by the disparities they share, but by the prosperity and health they enjoy.
In Seattle, less than 25 percent of Black and Native Americans own their own homes, compared to more than 50 percent of Whites. Blacks own just 1.5 percent of firms with employees. Within our criminal system, Black residents make up seven percent of King County’s population yet they account for 36 percent of the King County Jail population. When adding the devastating impact of COVID-19, we see that the already existing health, housing, education, and wealth disparities have severely deepened.
Centering these experiences, I committed $100 million in the 2021 budget for investments in communities of color and refocusing our current investments in areas like education and housing to address deep disparities. I also proposed the Equitable Communities Initiative Task Force of community members to examine the areas of new investments that our City should make to change the disparities facing our communities of color, especially the Black community.
Signed into law, the 2021 budget now includes this $100 million commitment. As part of the budget process, City Council determined that the $100 million would focus on: $30 million for strategic land acquisitions in communities at high risk for displacement, $30 million for participatory budgeting, $30 million for investments to eliminate disparities, and $10 million for community-led public safety alternatives. Each of these investments may go through slightly different processes, but they must work together to make holistic progress to address our city’s disparities.
Unfortunately, Washington has some clear legal limitations on how governments can allocate public dollars because of the appalling Initiative 200. The law prohibits local governments from using race-based preferences in public contracting which is how the City primarily invests in communities and community-based organizations. This is true for all of the differing funds passed by the City Council, including participatory budgeting. As we move forward, the City – and I – will be clear on any limitations so that the process does not further division and distrust in community but instead creates a path to repair the harm and divides. But I strongly believe by focusing investments on outcomes that help to end disparities for our Black and Native communities, not only will we improve the overall health of the most deeply impacted but also lift our other communities of color who are also struggling in Seattle. Strategic and creative investments we’ve made over the past three years, while not nearly enough, have shown we can do this.
Over the next several months, I trust the Equitable Communities Initiative Task Force’s leadership to inform and work in tandem with other efforts to build on our city’s work and focus on community-centered approaches to improve outcomes. The Task Force has the independence and will determine investment focus areas, community engagement framework, policy goals, and the outcomes they wish to achieve across our community. Members have deep ties and proven results in community. Their representation comes from but is not limited to, some of our longstanding Black-led organizations in our city, including the NAACP, the Urban League, and United Black Clergy. Joining them are leaders from other frontline organizations and individuals that also have fought for justice and built community-based solutions, like El Centro de la Raza, the Seattle Indian Health Board and Refugee Women’s Alliance. As they chart their course, Task Force members will be engaging with community and are dedicated to bringing forward community ideas as recommendations to help our communities of color thrive.
We are at a defining moment for our City where we can define our future. Nowhere else in the country will you find a city making this level of commitment – a historic investment, driven by the voice of Black-led community groups and individuals, embarking on a new approach, to determine for themselves in partnership with community, the path forward for the City.
