Whittier Alliance's Commitment to Anti-Racism Work
Since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police on May 25th, 2022 our city has experienced an unprecedented outpouring of grief, anger, fear, and solidarity. Words alone will never be enough to communicate our sorrow and anger, but we feel compelled in this moment to speak out, and to commit to doing more. Our hearts broke for the family and loved ones of George Floyd, as they did for those of Thurman Blevins Jr., Jamar Clark, Terrance Franklin, and too many others who have been killed at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) over the years. Our hearts are heavy, but we are committed to turning our sorrow and anger into action.
The Whittier Alliance has made a set of commitments for our organization to actively work towards with the ultimate goal of eliminating racism from our organization and in our neighborhood. View the full statement from the Whittier Alliance Board of Directors, including specifics on how we will implement racial, social, and economic equity work here:
The Whittier Alliance has made a set of commitments for our organization to actively work towards with the ultimate goal of eliminating racism from our organization and in our neighborhood. View the full statement from the Whittier Alliance Board of Directors, including specifics on how we will implement racial, social, and economic equity work here:
| WA Anti-Racism Commitments, July 2020 |
Whittier Alliance's Anti-Racism Progress Tracker
As a way to ensure accountability to these commitments, we will periodically provide updates here on the work that is taking place to meet our stated goals. We encourage community members to follow along, participate in these efforts, and provide feedback along the way to info@whittieralliance.org.
Culture and Approach
July 2019 (ongoing)
- Evaluating necessary changes to WA By-Laws to remove barriers to participation and apply a racial equity lens before presenting changes to community members for a vote in November 2020.
- Research and consultations for required racial justice training from trusted BIPOC community organizations for all staff and board members
July 2020 (ongoing)
- Creation of a first-ever emergency monetary relief fund to assist Whittier residents with bill pay such as monthly rent, utilities, food and essential household supplies. So far, nearly $30,000 has been distributed via a sliding scale model that prioritizes low-income, BIPOC renters who've had incomes negatively affected by COVID-19.
- Basic Stats as of 8.31.20 with 51 applicants approved:
- Renters: 98%
- Cost-burdened: 100%
- Lowest-income bracket ($0-29,999): 76%
- BIPOC or immigrant or refugee: 98%
- 4 or more people/household: 65%
- Income affected by COVID: 100%
- Primary language other than English: 63%
- Basic Stats as of 8.31.20 with 51 applicants approved:
Advocacy
June 2020 (ongoing)
- Hosted, promoted, and participated in Ward 10 Virtual Town Halls with CP Lisa Bender and community members
- Co-led organizing efforts with other neighborhood organizations focused on securing adequate funding for racial equity work
August 2020 (ongoing)
- Began internal conversations about how to define different types of relationships between businesses and organizations with whom we partner and set standards for intentionally supporting shared values with regard to racial and economic equity.