Giving Compass' Take:

• DC City Council is advancing racial equity in Washington DC by hosting a hearing on the Racial Equity Achieve Results Amendment Act (REAR Act). 

• The REAR Act will design racial equity tools for all employees of DC government. Are other local city governments adopting racial equity toolkits or implementing similar practices? 

• Read about how donors can support racial equity. 

Racism in the United States has shaped institutions, policies, and practices in a way that creates, maintains, and perpetuates racial inequities. Because of this backdrop, racial disparities across every indicator for success are more likely to be the norm rather than the exception. In DC, young women of color live in communities with fewer resources and opportunities, and are vulnerable to experiencing higher rates of poverty, violence, and involvement in foster care and the criminal justice system.

Our local government, in partnership with philanthropy, businesses, and nonprofits, has the ability and responsibility to change this.

Mayor Bowser and the DC City Council can focus on tackling the roots of these disparate outcomes by taking actions that disrupt the underlying systems perpetuating inequity. While this will require a significant adjustment in the way the District operates and allocates resources, the good news is the City is starting to take some important first steps to address ongoing racial injustices.

Last Thursday, the City Council held a hearing on the Racial Equity Achieve Results Amendment Act (REAR Act). The legislation, introduced by Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, proposes to operationalize racial equity by requiring the Office of Budget and Planning to design and implement a racial equity tool, adding racial equity performance measures to agency performance plans, and providing racial equity training for all DC government employees, among other things.

Moving forward, City Council can enhance the REAR Act by expanding the scope of the racial equity toolkit to explore the unintended negative outcomes of policies and programs at the intersection of other identities, for example, race, gender, disability, and immigration status.

Read the full article about DC government advances racial equity by Claudia Williams at Washington Area Women's Foundation.