On Friday, March 4, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed a resolution calling for one of its committees to “hold hearings to discuss the merits and possible development of a racial equity lens, approach, structure and/or process” for the board and city government in general, as Resolution 207 states.
The resolution was introduced by aldermanic President Lewis E. Reedand AldermenTerry Kennedy (18th Ward), Dionne Flowers (2nd Ward), Freeman Bosley Sr. (3rd Ward), Samuel L. Moore (4th Ward), Tamika Hubbard (5th Ward), Marlene E. Davis (19th Ward), Antonio D. French (21th Ward), Jeffrey L. Boyd (22nd Ward), Chris Carter (27th Ward), Cara Spencer (20th Ward), Christine Ingrassia (6th Ward) and Megan E. Green (15th Ward).
“The resolution was written and filed by members of the St. Louis African American Aldermanic Caucus and had broad-based aldermanic support,” Kennedy said. “It was passed without opposition.”
The resolutions calls for the hearings to be held by the board’s Engrossment, Rules, Resolutions and Credentials Committee, which Davis chairs. The other committee members are Kennedy, Ingrassia and Aldermen Joseph D. Roddy, Joseph Vaccaro and Joseph Vollmer.
“The concept of a ‘racial equity lens’ was put forth by the Ferguson Commission in their report entitled ‘Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity,’” Kennedy noted.
That report “confirms that racial disparities exist in numerous municipalities throughout the St. Louis area and that these disparities are at the core of many of the area’s social, economic, political and educational challenges,” according to the resolution.
The committee is charged with reporting its “findings and/or recommendations” by June 24. Among the possibilities mentioned in the resolution, beyond the hearings and report, are the creation of a Racial Equity and Social Justice board committee or administrative office, or the assignment of racial equity duties to an existing board committee or city office.
