City of Riverside Approves Anti-Racist Vision, Asks Community to Sign On

Date:

https://www.riversideca.gov/press/city-riverside-approves-anti-racist-vision-asks-community-sign

The Riverside City Council on Tuesday (10/20) approved a Riverside Anti-Racist Vision formulated by the Mayor’s Multicultural Forum, and Mayor Rusty Bailey encouraged members of the community to sign on to the Mayor Bailey and Dr. Carlos Cortés, a UC Riverside professor emeritus of history, presented the item at the City Council meeting and outlined how the vision was formed and what it is intended to represent. They pointed out that anti-racism is more than just acknowledging racism is wrong; it is the active effort to combat it in the community.

“By adopting and following these principles, and by annually reassessing progress in their implementation, including measurable accountability, the City of Riverside can become a true national leader in creating and sustaining an anti-racist community,” Mayor Bailey said.

The City Council vote was the culmination of several months of work. Members of the Mayor’s Multicultural Forum began meeting in June following the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, sparking a conversation for what an anti-racist Riverside effort should entail.

On June 30, the City Council adopted a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis in the City of Riverside. In August, the Mayor’s Multicultural Forum began to formulate the Riverside Anti-Racist Vision and approved a final draft at its September meeting.

A copy of the Anti-Racist Vision can be found here: https://riversideca.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=8839823&GUID=EFA063AD-A76B-4209-BB4D-89206C3DFE13

Dr. Cortés is an internationally known scholar of race and ethnicity and has taught for decades on such topics as inclusivity and diversity. Locally, he is regarded as the chief architect of the City of Riverside’s Inclusivity Statement and as the namesake for the Dr. Carlos E. Cortés Award for Championing Diversity and Inclusivity, presented each year during the State of the City Address.

Dr. Cortés explained that the Inclusive Community Statement is a broad presentation of diversity and inclusivity principles, while the anti-racism vision focuses strictly on racism and ways to challenge it. In that regard, the Riverside Anti-Racist Vision elaborates on one dimension – racism — of the Inclusive Community Statement.

“Through the adoption of this anti-racist lens, the City of Riverside can contribute to greater racial equity throughout our city,” Dr. Cortés said. “We can not only challenge policies and systems that support racism, even if unintentionally. We can also encourage the community to address the effects of racism in our city.”

Find your latest news here at the Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe to The Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle

Popular

More like this
Related

Student Talent Takes Center Stage at San Bernardino County Honor Concerts

More than 650 student musicians from throughout San Bernardino County were selected to showcase their musical talents during three separate honor concerts

Writers Corner: Motivation

Brad from Rancho Cucamonga asks me to explain motivation. That may appear to be a dumb question, but it isn't. I've been asked that question a number of times.

$783K Awarded to Support Urban Agriculture and Farmers via Inland Empire Resource Conservation District

This week, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Office of Farm to Fork announced $11.67 million in funding awards through their Urban Agriculture Program focused on urban and disadvantaged communities throughout the state.

Clergy Corner: Better Than $150,000.00?

 The Boston Marathon! What an amazing race! Back when I was in high school and spending a fair amount of time running track, my dad told me if I would prepare for the Boston Marathon and meet the qualifying time, he would sponsor me.