Democratic Philadelphia Mayor James Kenney declared an effort to remove “racial inequity” across the city’s government through an executive order Monday.
The executive order, which expands on a similar order Kenney signed in 2020, will require all departments in the city government to hire a “Racial Equity Manager,” establishes a new department to “coach” government employees on their inherent bias and requires departments to shape their budgets around promoting city-wide efforts to promote “just” actions, according to a press release. Supporters of the move hailed it as a chance to remove “race-based disparities” and claimed the order would “foster a supportive environment” for all employees. (RELATED: Washington Pledges To Increase Correctional Officers’ ‘Transgender Focused Training’ In Legal Settlement)
“[D]eep race-based disparities exist in Philadelphia across all indicators of well-being, including housing security, access to health care, and other areas,” Kenney wrote in the executive order. “[T]hese racial inequities are the result of individual, institution and structural racism.”
Today, @philadelphiagov takes another step toward advancing racial equity. I signed an Executive Order that commits the City to annual racial equity action planning and budgeting in every department. Racial equity is everyone’s responsibility. pic.twitter.com/v1xYG84PwO
— Mayor Jim Kenney (@PhillyMayor) October 23, 2023
“In acknowledgement of the role of government in creating and maintaining the conditions that cause racial inequity, the City of Philadelphia commits to achieving racial equity,” Kenney added.
City departments will now direct more of their energy to acting in ways that promote “racial equity,” and will have to give monthly status reports to a racial equity council to ensure that they are reducing “racial disparities,” the executive order says. Each department will also have to submit data to an online dashboard that will track how racially equitable they are compared to other departments in the city.
“With this Executive Order, we are not just making a statement; we are allocating new resources and making racial equity every department’s responsibility,” Télyse Masaoay, the director for the city’s Racial Equity Policy and Practice Efforts, said in the press release. “This initiative embodies our commitment to tangible action, so that we actively work towards a more just and equitable future for all.”
Crime has continued to increase in the city as Kenney has focused his efforts on promoting equity, with motor vehicle and retail theft increasing 95% and 36%, respectively, and total crime increasing nearly 15% since 2022, according to police data. Drug use has also ticked up in the city over the past few years, and drug overdose deaths have increased in 2022 by 16% compared to 2020, data compiled by the Philadelphia government showed.
Local and state governments across the country have begun implementing “racial equity” standards and practices over the past year. San Francisco hired a private firm to train government employees in how to address their “privilege” and “biases,” while the Milwaukee Police Department decided to no longer report crime victims’ gender or race.
The Philadelphia mayor’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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