5 Things /public policy edition
Last Monday was fun, so we're doing it again! On Monday at 2pm ET, I'll discuss these 5 Things (in 15 minutes) with our Senior Coach Dr. Laura Quiros. Please join the conversation on LinkedIn live here.
I recently took myself on a work retreat to Evanston, IL. I booked a hotel and worked on my keynote and book. Little did I know that the small city was about to announce that it would pay its Black residents reparations totaling $10 million over the next decade.
Evanston, like many cities, used redlining to keep Black people from being able to receive bank loans to buy houses. Redlining prevents the generational wealth that comes from home ownership. It's a devastating example of systemic racism.
Now Evanston is using its 3% legal marijuana tax to pay its Black residents $25,000 to be used towards housing, as reparations for "lack of affordability, lack of access to living-wage careers, and a lack of sense of place," according to 5th Ward Alderman Robin Rue Simmons.
Evanston is the first city in the country to pay its Black residents reparations, and it's a powerful statement towards racial justice. This matters because the city admitted their role in racial inequity and is making it right. I hope many other cities follow.
Here are some other good vibes I found this week:
Houston became the first city in Texas to add certified LGBTQ business enterprises into their supplier diversity program. This matters because supplier diversity programs (which live in procurement) expand access to contracts to minority-owned businesses. Supplier diversity programs, even informal ones, should be a part of every DEI strategic plan.
The state of New Jersey passed a law requiring diversity and inclusion be embedded into all public schools' academic lesson plans. This takes effect for the 2021-2022 school year. Schools will be given sample activities and resources for age-appropriate lessons on topics such as unconscious bias and economic inequality. This matters because it's never too early to start talking about this stuff!
The state of Connecticut's legislature passed the Crown Act, which the governor plans to sign. The Crown Act is a law that bans natural hair discrimination most often faced by Black people with braids, dreadlocks, and twists. This shouldn't even be a thing! But it's something Black people experience, and I'll never know how that feels. This law matters because it bans a form of discrimination. Period.
Finally, in another example of "we're not going to discriminate anymore", Bethany Children's Services, which operates adoption agencies in 30 states, will now let LGBTQ people adopt kids. This shift by this massive, faith-based foster and adoption agency matters because it will help more kids in need find loving families.
Image by: Luan Oossthuizen