Lacey council on anti-discrimination: ‘We want to make sure everyone knows they belong’
Lacey City Council this week read aloud and then shared their thoughts about an anti-discrimination proclamation, making for a moving and sometimes emotional discussion about the importance of fostering a welcoming and inclusive community.
The council also heard from Larry Jefferson, president of the NAACP of Thurston County, who accepted the proclamation.
The city has taken a series of steps on the issue of becoming a more welcoming community. A few years ago it created a city equity commission, an advisory body to the council that recently produced a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging strategic plan for the city that was adopted by the council.
Council members on Tuesday each read a part of the proclamation, which included the following:
“Whereas the city of Lacey recognizes and values the diversity of its community members and is committed to fostering a safe, welcoming and inclusive community for all, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, income, educational attainment and English proficiency.”
Jefferson responded that it was a heart-warming moment for him, particularly because of some things that have happened at the federal level and conversations he has had with young people about experiences they have encountered at high school.
“When each of you read the proclamation, there is nothing like having the feeling of belonging where you live, where you reside and where you work,” he said.
Council members shared their thoughts:
▪ Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder: “There’s a pullback from some in our community that maybe don’t understand what we’re trying to do here in Lacey. We’re not trying to take anything away from someone or push someone down so we can pull someone else up. What we’re trying to do is make sure everyone knows that they belong, that these words on this proclamation are true.”
▪ Council member Robin Vazquez: “We don’t all have the same access to opportunity today in our communities, and if we want a loving community where everyone feels like they belong or people have fair access to opportunity and health and wealth and happiness, we need to acknowledge that racism and prejudice exist.”
▪ Deputy Mayor Malcolm Miller: “I was so happy when the Commission on Equity was formed because it was the beginning of a conversation that needed to be had for a very long time, and it sparked the conversation by saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to make sure that other groups of people get what’s right, what’s coming and get treated fairly, right?’ And that actually started some people to say that means less for me, and I’ve had to tell so many people, you are not going to get less just because they get some, right? There’s no less for you because they’re going to get an opportunity.”
▪ Council member Michael Steadman: “When hate exposes itself, it takes all of us to identify that, and all of us to stand up against it, and that’s when it goes away.”
▪ Council member Carolyn Cox: ”I’ve just returned from a trip to Florida. I grew up in Northwest Florida, sometimes referred to as the ‘redneck Riviera,’ and things have changed, and they haven’t changed, and it was an opportunity during this trip to relive some really hard stuff that I saw growing up. ... And it’s just like I look at those things, and I look at Lacey, and it really gives me hope for the future, that what we’re doing here may be a shining example to other communities.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
