Lakewood moving ahead with creation of racial equity plan - cleveland.com

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LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- The next step in Lakewood’s anti-racism effort for the community is the creation of a racial equity plan.

The city recently sought proposals from consultants, with a goal of adding an equity, inclusion and anti-racism foundation across city functions, services, programs, policies and budgetary decisions.

“This consultant will be working hand in hand with the anti-racism task force to create a racial equity plan,” Mayor Meghan George said. “The goal of that is to address the key issues and needs within our city government.

“Obviously, the first step will be to review the racial equity plan and then we can begin to implement it citywide. We want to make sure we express anti-racist views and values in everything we do as a city. So depending on what the report looks like, it may be an opportunity to make sure that’s embedded in our programs, services and policies.”

The need for a consultant to assist in the creation of a racial equity plan came from the city’s anti-racism task force, which has been meeting diligently for the last year or so.

“It’s going well,” George said. “They continue to meet regularly. They did recently provide a letter to City Council supporting our partnership with Downtown Cleveland Alliance for the parks ambassador program, which was passed unanimously by City Council.

“A lot of the work they’ve done since this group had been started has been forming their structure and their mission. Now that is formed, we’re looking at formalizing that with this racial equity plan.”

The Lakewood Anti-Racism Task Force includes Laura Rodriguez-Carbone (chair), Angelina Steiner (co-chair), William Yeung, Kathleen Newsome, Kathleen McBride, Sam Pearson, Carol Moss-Chapman, Jessica Cotton and Nathan Lizanich.

In a letter to City Council recommending their support for the funding and establishment of the Lakewood Parks Ambassador Pilot Program, the task force members wrote, “The proposed program demonstrates Lakewood’s commitment to creating an equitable, hospitable, appreciative, safe and inclusive environment for our city’s parks.

“One that embraces the full spectrum of community members. Approval of funding for the Lakewood Parks Ambassador Pilot Program is crucial to supporting efforts to improve inclusion and diversity, and to maximizing opportunities for all of Lakewood’s residents to feel welcome and included within our public spaces.”

While the city has earmarked $10,000 toward the racial equity plan effort, the mayor noted that interested consulting firms have indicated that the process may take a while.

Due to other communities with similar efforts related to the killing of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests, the timeline could reach well into 2023 to complete.

Read more news from the Sun Post Herald.

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