Now that New York City voters have overwhelmingly endorsed making racial equity a priority of city government, where should a new Office of Racial Equity focus its attention first?
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The first steps should be coming up with some common terminology, some common metrics that can be used across agencies and across offices so that there's a common language when we talk about equity. So that when we measure, we'll be able to measure consistently across agencies. The first, and maybe this is obvious, is how are you investing the city's resources? Who are you hiring? How are you spending your contracting dollars? Are they reaching women- and minority-owned businesses? Are you investing in your local economy? Are you contributing to companies that are far away? What researchers have known forever, but what the pandemic really laid bare, is that economic wellbeing is foundational to all the other indicators of success.
It’s well-documented the segregation in our cities and the disparate resources that are available. You have to make proactive decisions to change that. You shouldn't have a different experience depending on where you live: you should be able to get healthy food, walk to reliable public transportation, get to a job that pays you well.
We need a revamping of the educational system. Montessori methods for all preschool kids. We need vocational schools. We need an emphasis on tech, automotive repair, carpentry, plumbing. Our kids need to be prepared for a future. Not every kid wants to go to college and they can make six figures by having a trade, trade programs, financial literacy programs. White kids, because of the wealth gap, have different conversations at the dinner tables.
There’s arguably no area in New York City where racial disparities are as stark and alarming as in the issues around economic opportunity. We need to build an economy that is more fair for everyone.
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