Everett Mayor Issues Directive On Unity, Racism, Equity

This in today from Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin.

Mayor Cassie Franklin today issued a mayoral directive on building unity, addressing racism and promoting equity for all.

“The strength and vitality of our community comes from our rich diversity of cultures, experiences and faiths,” said Franklin. “I am committed to ensuring Everett remains a welcoming, inclusive and safe community for all who live, work and visit here.”

The directive builds and expands upon the work completed through the mayor’s 2018 directive on community engagement and inclusion and outlines initiatives to: engage with all Everett residents, especially those historically underrepresented; diversify the City workforce to better reflect the diversity of Everett; and embed equity as an explicit government principle in all City departments to assess how City operations, policies and procedures impact Everett residents.

“Since 2018, we have made meaningful progress in our efforts to achieve our vision of ‘One Everett. A connected and engaged community built on trust, inclusion and equity’,” said Franklin. “Yet, much work remains to dismantle institutional barriers to success that impact marginalized communities, including our Black, Indigenous, people of color, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and low-income households.”

Under the directive, City staff will:

• Foster engagement and mutual understanding with the Black, Indigenous, people of color community, as well as other marginalized communities
• Improve inclusion, equity and diversity at the City and create a culture of anti-racism, which actively addresses barriers to opportunities for all
• Identify and address inequities and bias in City systems, policies and data

Read the full directive and learn more at everettwa.gov/directives.