Seattle set to release $30M into BIPOC communities

0
491
Seattle set to release M into BIPOC communities

By Ruth Bayang
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEK

“It’s a really exciting time for our city,” said Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan as she answered questions on July 6 about the city’s Equitable Communities Initiative (ECI) and the latest recommendations from the ECI Task Force (ECITF).

The city council will vote on July 20 to approve these recommendations and $ 30 million investment to improve disparate outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and Colored (BIPOC) communities in Seattle.

“When I became mayor, we saw a growing discrepancy between the new innovation economy and the old service economy, and that made it almost impossible for people to live in Seattle – it’s getting expensive. We saw the effects mainly in the color communities. “

Durkan said the pandemic had made the scale of these differences clear.

The ECITF was formed, she said, after “listening to the people who say we want a voice at the table … an equal fellowship.”

Recommendations from the 26-strong ECITF focused on four areas or “pillars” – companies receiving $ 7.5 million; Education, $ 7.5 million; Housing, $ 8.8 million; and Health, $ 6.2 million.

Durkan said small businesses were among the first hits during the pandemic – mostly owned by colored people, and owners in the Chinatown-International District were no exception.

“In order for a small business to survive, it must have access to credit,” she said.

ECITF member Rizwan Rizwi said small business owners will have access to $ 7,500 to $ 100,000 in loans, and that money is slated to be in the hands of the community by the end of this year, subject to city council approval.

The ECITF also said companies will have access to one-on-one counseling to help them improve their financial health and creditworthiness.

Rizwi, the executive director of Muslim housing, also addressed the housing pillar of the ECITF recommendations.

“We want a system that is fair to everyone.” One approach, he said, is a hire-purchase program.

“Having and renting an apartment works for a while, but when rents get too prohibitive, people still have to go… A lot of equity is made from the stock market, the stock market and real estate. If you can never buy or own anything, it is not possible to get equity and shares in real estate and have a place to pass on to the next generation. ”Rizwi added that addressing the systemic conditions that the Impairing wealth accumulation, particularly through real estate and land ownership, will affect not only this generation but future generations as well.

In the field of education, the ECITF aims to address the lack of culturally competent academic support, including offering training, educational opportunities and ways to employment with living wages.

The Pillar of Health’s recommendations include the systemic conditions that lead to “food deserts” and the lack of healthy eating options, the lack of representation in the health profession, and the creation of culturally relevant and responsive health programs.

“These pillars are not alone,” said Sharon Nyree Williams, ECITF member and executive director of the Central District Forum.
She added, “Why, as a gig worker, can’t an artist own a house and run their business as an entrepreneur? Why can’t we give small business owners the ability to provide health and social benefits to their employees? How do we make ourselves better as a whole and bring all these pillars together? “

Williams stressed that these pillars were just a starting point.

“We hope to add more pillars and join the task force over the years to continue building a Seattle we can be proud of.” She said the ECITF wants to ensure that all programs that come from the Recommendations emerge, must be sustainable and are not just one-off.

Durkan said the generation reversal of underfunding and discrimination “will not happen overnight”.

“The four pillars reflect a safe, healthy and resilient community … in building a long-term generational change.”

Ruth can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.