Councilmember Mike O’Brien
Councilmember Bruce Harrell
Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative wins prestigious award
Seattle – The City of Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative will be receiving the American Society for Public Administration’s (ASPA) 2012 Equal Opportunity Affirmative Action Exemplary Practice Award on March 6, 2012. The announcement came last week (1/16/12) in recognition of the outstanding work being done by City of Seattle employees and the Seattle Office of Civil Rights to bring about a more fair, equitable and inclusive Seattle.
"I’m proud of the Office of Civil Rights and our employees for the years of hard work that was put into the Race and Social Justice Initiative to get where we are today and earn this recognition," said Councilmember Mike O’Brien. "But our work does not stop here. We will continue to advance this initiative as we look to address racially disproportionate outcomes in areas like education, health and opportunity."
"Our City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative has produced a strong foundation for us to be proactive in our effort for greater social equity," said Councilmember Bruce Harrell, chair of the Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology committee. "Winning this award shows that our efforts are being recognized on a national level. We should all be very proud of this work."
The ASPA is dedicated to advancing the principles of accountability and performance, professionalism, ethics and social equity. The award is presented to individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to a more equal society.
The Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative is a citywide effort to end institutionalized racism and race-based disparities in City government. The Initiative builds on the work of the civil rights movement and the ongoing efforts of individuals and groups in Seattle to confront racism. The Initiative’s long term goal is to change the underlying system that creates race-based disparities in our community and to achieve racial equity.
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