(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .



We, the people want racial, economic and climate justice in New York City and beyond! [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']

Date: 2022-11-09

Minerva Solla, union organizer, June 2020, Photo by Mariposa

New Yorkers made their voices heard loud and clear! In spite of attempts to thwart the effort of the Racial Justice Commission, we the people voted overwhelming to create a Preamble that includes a statement of values in the New York City Charter, a Racial Equity Office, and to measure and make known the True Cost of Living. As reported in The Gothamist, “NYC Voters back racial justice ballot proposals by wide margins.” Congratulations to everyone who worked tirelessly to make it so.

x Politico has called it: all 3 racial justice ballot proposals have passed in NYC!



Thank you to all who volunteered with our campaign to educate NYC voters! — NYC Racial Justice Commission (@RacialJusticeNY) November 9, 2022

This is a step forward for New York City, a step that came out of struggle for racial justice and equity. The 3 proposal questions, put forth by the New York Racial Justice Commission under Mayor Bill DeBlasio, came out of weeks of protests in June 2020, after the murders of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the murders of Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery a short time earlier. I shared in the Daily Kos story that I wrote, Why vote yes to change the NYC Charter, even if you don’t live in NYC this concerns you.

We are a trend setting city, but not as hip as people would like to think. The fact of the matter is, racism and segregation exist in New York City. Racism is racism and northern racism is quite real. “Centering New York City’s Charter on racial justice and equity as moral imperatives is an acknowledgement of systemic racism and the legacy it has inflicted,” tweeted former Speaker of the New York City Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito.

x An amazing step forward. Centering New York City’s Charter on racial justice & equity as moral imperatives is an acknowledgement of systemic racism & the legacy of harm it has inflicted. Proud to have formed part of the effort that led to this moment. Congrats @RacialJusticeNY! https://t.co/hSUT0JtRA1 — Melissa Mark-Viverito (@MMViverito) November 9, 2022

An Office of Racial Equity will mean that every agency New York City will be held accountable by having to report on how they are doing in terms of addressing racial disparities. As Kimberlé Crenshaw states in her famous Tedtalk, On the Urgency of Intersectionality, “when you can’t see a problem, you pretty much can’t solve it.” Having an office that will force city agencies produce hard data, hopefully will help us see the problems and solve them. As a Black Puerto Rican working class woman teaching, and living rent-poor ( yes — even with a college degree) in The Bronx, I can personally attest that this will make a difference not only in my life but in the lives of my family and my students.

This is a people’s victory that came out of struggle. It came out of people coming together. What happens next is up to us. It is important to recall how this all came about and the context of why a Racial Justice Commission was pulled together. The commision’s work has ended but the people’s struggle continues!

x We made our voices heard! Loud & clear! From #elbarrio to #brooklyn It's important to remember the Racial Justice Commission in NYC came out of struggle & the people demanding justice! #racialjustice #racialequity pic.twitter.com/2iW6uuKE70 — Mariposa Fernández (@LaPoetaMariposa) November 9, 2022

There were many protests during the pandemic, that prompted Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration to create a Racial Justice Commision, including this one on June 14th, 2020, where Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and other members of the many Latinx African Diaspora communities came together in New York City to march for racial justice. The march began in Washington Heights to West Harlem, and East Harlem / El Barrio in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

[END]
---
[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/9/2134743/-We-the-people-want-racial-economic-and-climate-justice-in-New-York-City-and-beyond

Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.

via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/

You are viewing proxied material from magical.fish. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.