Equity And Social Justice Report from kcexec on Vimeo.
by Jack Mayne
The first-ever Equity and Social Justice report reveals King County is now nearly half populated by non-whites and those living in the south part of the county face inequalities because of not only where they live but because of race and income.
The first report of King County Equity and Social Justice shows the county is increasingly diverse, with a non-white population that has grown from 13 percent in 1980 to 35 percent in the 2010 census. The document says that trend is expected to continue, as nearly half of all county residents under 18 are non-white. More than 100 languages are spoken in King County, and 11 percent of those over age 5 have limited-English proficiency. The full report is available here: www.kingcounty.gov/equity.
Click image to see larger version.
“It’s a basic American ideal that personal success should be based upon merit – talent, drive, determination – not upon race, or class, or zip code,” said County Executive Dow Constantine in a news release. “Our economy depends on everyone being able to contribute, and we must remove the barriers that artificially limit the ability of some to fulfill their potential. Only when all can fully participate can we have true prosperity.”
County Council Chairman Larry Gossett said the report makes it “painfully clear that the lives of far too many people in our county continue to be impacted by systemic inequities. “In 2008, we made a commitment to reduce these inequalities. King County has accomplished much in a very short time, but there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done to achieve the ideals supported by Equity and Social Justice.”
The report highlights the 14 determinants of equity, or the conditions in which county residents are born, grow, live, work, and age. These are baseline markers to assess progress and areas for improvement in creating a fair and just society. The report (here) includes maps and other statistics that reveal inequities across King County.
South King County and south Seattle have the greatest concentration of households below the median household income, the report says. In 2010, African American and Native American households earned just over half of the median income of white households.
The largest decline in home values has occurred in South King County communities, low-income areas and more racially diverse communities.
The incarceration rate for African Americans in King County is roughly eight times the rate of incarceration for whites.
Food hardship has increased by half since 2007 in King County and varies significantly by race. Nearly two in five Latino adults and more than one in five African American adults report food hardship.
King County Councimember Julia Patterson.
“As the report shows, dramatic disparities continue to exist in King County, particularly in South King County,” said King County Councilmember Julia Patterson, 5th District, which includes part of South King County.
“These findings will direct us in identifying solutions that increase the quality of life for all people regardless of your zip code, the size of your bank account or your ethnicity.”
Mia Gregerson, deputy major of SeaTac said she thanked the county “for its leadership on equity and social justice, and in South King County many of our leaders are coming together to work on these issues to create a more inclusive and responsive government.” said Mia Gregerson, deputy mayor for the City of SeaTac.
Nathan Phillips, director of the South King Council of Human Services, said, “Equity can only be achieved when all of our King County communities have similar access to the jobs, schools, housing, services, parks, and transportation that create pathways for people to reach their full potential,” said “While we have made some progress, this inaugural annual report shows we still have a tremendous amount of work to do, and I commend the County for raising this as a priority.”
Affordable housing and more housing choices, along with ending homelessness are “are key elements in assuring equal opportunity for a successful and prosperous community,” said Stephen Norman, executive director of the King County Housing Authority, an independent municipal corporation.
Constantine said the report also highlights King County efforts to promote fair and just conditions for all through the siting and delivering of services; policy development and decision making; education and communication within county government; and community engagement and partnerships. For example, the budget office held all agencies accountable for considering equity impacts in their 2012 budgets and business plans.
The executive said Metro Transit included social equity as one of three criteria in its new Transit Strategic Plan, which determines how transit services are allocated in King County.
King County Elections expanded voter registration and education outreach activities through partnerships with ethnic communities and other underserved populations,” he said.
“In our work to provide voter awareness and participation we are fortunate to have partners helping us to expand outreach to communities eager to connect with each other and a broader network of services and opportunities,” said King County Elections Director Sherril Huff. “We are growing connected communities through uniting with the purpose of being active, being heard through voting and supporting the inclusion of every voice.”
The Metropolitan King County Council in 2010 adopted legislation integrating the principles and practices of equity and social justice into all agencies and branches of County government. The ordinance establishes definitions and directs implementation steps related to the “fair and just” principle of the King County Strategic Plan that guides all county activities and functions.
…HERE WE GO AGAIN…..
……where are these skewed statistics based upon. Is this a way to validate another KC bureacy agency taking our dollars? Yes, I think so. Would you list your sources of these statistics, I’ll bet there are numbers out there that would counter those. Please enough with RACE, we are ALL King County residents, no matter WHAT your RACE, you deserve equality EVEN if you are WHITE
There are plenty of qualified women and minority-owned firms, yet when it comes time to select a company for public sector design and construction projects, they always seem to go with the large company owned by whites, then sub-contract smaller percentages for MWBE participation. Seems if they want to get rid of barriers and give everyone a fair shake, they should look at their own internal biases for “change”.
..you might check how much contractors CHARGE for their work and quality. THAT would be my first concern, regardless of race. Those who can MANAGE their business to offer affordable, quality work are the ones who survive. The federal government has this policy already in effect to go to women and minority owned firms, this has been in place for over 25 years, so if a business is not surviving, don’t blame race!!
….I think that King County and the Seattle CIty lean towards this practice of minority and women, By the way, who was the contractor/engineer that miscalculated the freeway ramp measurements on First Avenue near Spokane, thereby having TAXPAYERS have to pay to tear down this portion and rebuild, time, and waste of money REGARDLESS if female, white, or minority owned. Would anyone care to please find out? Thank you
….it seems that CORPORATIONS are being compared to SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. Big difference. All Small Business Owners deserve equal recognition for their contribution to the economy, and NOT because of their race. Hopefully, we will have SBA saavy newly elected president who understand the SBA owner, not like the present climate.
Here is an example of how Politicians spin things to their advantage, remember, vote out and in the King County Councilperson up to the highest elected officials.
A History Lesson on Your Social Security Card
1934 – 1980
With the elections just a little over 3 months away you’ll soon be hearing some Democrats running for political office, warning how the Republicans want to take away the old people’s Social Security.
Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn’t know this it’s easy to check out, if you don’t believe it. Be sure and show it to your family and friends. They need a little history lesson on what’s what and it doesn’t matter whether you are Democrat or Republican.
Facts are Facts:
Social Security Cards, issued in 1934, and up until the 1980s expressly stated the number and that card were not to be used for identification purposes. Since nearly everyone in the United States now has a number, it became convenient to use it anyway and the message, NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION, was removed.
When Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised:
1.) That participation in the Program would be completely voluntary,
No Longer Voluntary
2.) That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual Incomes into the Program,
Now 7.65% on the first $90,000
3.) That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year,
No longer tax deductible
4.) That the money the participants put into the independent ‘Trust Fund’ rather than into the general operating fund, and therefore, would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program, and no other Government program.
Under Johnson, another Democrat, the money was moved to The General Fund and Spent
5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income.
Under Clinton & Gore, Democrats, Up to 85% of your Social Security can be Taxed
Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month — and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to ‘put away’ for us — you may be interested in the following:
Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent ‘Trust Fund’ and put it into the general fund so that Congress could spend it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the Democratically controlled House and Senate.
Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?
A: The Democrat Party.
Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?
A: The Democrat Party, with Al Gore casting the ‘tie-breaking’ deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the US
Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants?
AND MY FAVORITE:
A: That’s right!
Jimmy Carter and the Democrat Party.
Immigrants moved into this country, and at age 65, began to receive Social Security payments! The Democrat Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it!
Then, after violating the original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away!
And the worst part about it is uninformed citizens believe it!
If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe changes will evolve. Maybe not, some Democrats are awfully sure of what isn’t so.