On June 11, 2020, King County declared racism a public health crisis. In partnership with advocates, community members, and public servants throughout King County government, Executive Constantine put together a package of budget proposals to reform the criminal legal system, and begin an ongoing, multi-year effort to shift resources from systems that cause harm, to upstream programs aligned with racial and social justice.

King County staff developed anti-racist policy agendas and biennial budget priorities based on demands from Black, brown, and indigenous people of color. To aid in further effective policy and investment development, King County has awarded $200,000 to 24 organizations to engage members of their communities, and provide meaningful feedback with input directly from The communities most harmed by systems of oppression and racism.

King County Organizations

4 Tomorrow
Billie Pearl Lifeline International
Bridging Cultural Gaps
Brown Dove Enterprises
Centro Cultural Mexicano
Choose 180
Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees, and Communities of Color (CIRCC)
Education with a Purpose Foundation for Pacific Islanders
Equity in Education Coalition
Eritrean Association in Greater Seattle
Freedom Project
Garfield Super Block Coalition
LELO
Low Income Housing Institute
Nakani Native Program
Open Doors for Multicultural Families/King County Racial Equity Coalition
Progress Pushers
RISE
Sky Urban Empowerment and Transformation Center
United Black Christian Clergy/Black Dollar Days Task Force
United Indian of All Tribes
Urban Family
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
West African Community Council

“For the first time, King County has a budget that is built on the idea of anti-racism, and fundamentally shifts the way county government thinks about equality in our community as we address racism as a Public Health crisis,” said Executive Constantine. “Investing in engagement with these organizations brings many more voices into the conversation, and will help our team move forward developing policy that is built in partnership as we work toward our goal of a more just and fair King County.”

The grants provide funding for community engagement through January 2021, after which the recipients will report summaries of their findings to King County. The Public Health Crisis Core Team will use the reports and qualitative data to further align policy and budget priorities towards an anti-racist agenda, including accountability and identifying any missing pieces based on community feedback.

The above is a press release from King County Executive Dow Constantine. The Auburn Examiner has not independently verified its contents and encourages our readers to personally verify any information they find may be overly biased or questionable. The publication of this press release does not indicate an endorsement of its contents.