Watch | State of Black Community in COVID-19
Black community leaders, members, and elected officials came together to address the State of Black Community in COVID-19, and present the collective demand to allocate federal American Relief Plan Act (ARPA) funding equitably. Specifically, community leaders called on the City of Seattle and Martin Luther King Jr. County to invest at least $300 million dollars from the recently awarded ARPA funding directly into the local Black community in Martin Luther King Jr. County.
Take action in support here. Find the full transcript here.
This collective, cross-sector call for direct investment elevates: the Black community in crisis pre-COVID; COVID-19's disparate impact and compounding harm; the wholesale exclusion of Black communities from federal COVID relief funding; and the impact of investment in Black community-centered models and current programming.
This virtual conference uplifted live, Black-led and centered funding equity solutions that Seattle and King County elects can fund immediately. Invited speakers included:
-Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, Chief of Race, Wealth & Community at National Community Reinvestment Coalition
-Emijah Smith, Chief of Staff King County Equity Now
-Nyema Clark, Farm Queen Nurturing Roots Farm
-Girmay Zahilay, King County Councilmember
-Munira Mohamed, Executive Director at East African Community Services
-Brandon Hersey, Seattle Public School Board Member
-Isaac Joy, President King County Equity Now
-K. Wyking Garrett, CEO & President of Africatown Community Land Trust
-Kirsten Harris-Talley, WA State Rep for 37th District
-Jackie Vaughn, Executive Director of Surge Reproductive Justice
-TraeAnna Holiday, KCEN Media Director, Converge Producer
🔊 “The Black community is owed. Period. Point Blank."
Listen to public comment highlights overwhelmingly in favor of investing of #Seattle's ARPA funding specifically directly into Black community here.
King County Equity Now Demands $300 Million In Direct Investments To Black Community
“Current, white-centric, non-community-based services do not work for a predominantly Black service population,” says Emijah Smith, Chief of Staff for King County Equity Now. The collective is advocating for $300 million of investment directly into the Black community for service and other holistic relief. Read the Seattle's Medium's piece to learn more about the collective, cross-sector demand.
