Peoria City Council To Hear First Reading At Aug. 25 Meeting For New Commission On Racial Justice And Equity

Press release from the City of Peoria:

August 25, 2020

Born out of a need to address racial justice and equity issues within the City and County, the Peoria City Council will have a first reading of an ordinance to establish a Joint Commission on Racial Justice and Equity at their meeting on August 25, 2020. This Commission, a partnership with Peoria County, aims to “Accelerate Efforts to Institutionalize Racial Justice and Equity within County and City Government and to Advance its Adoption Throughout the Region”. There can be up to twenty members on the Commission and all must be residents of Peoria County.

Goals of the Joint Commission include:

• To establish racially inclusive leadership
• Promotion of focused discussions on racial equity
• Creation of a racial justice and equity strategic plan
• Formation of focused work groups that advance pro-equity policies, procedures, and systems in various areas where racial inequities exist (including, but not limited to, the justice system, housing, economic development and jobs, child and youth development, health and human services, information technology, mobility and transportation, environment and climate)
• Delivery of annual and periodic progress reports

For the past several weeks, community leaders have been meeting to discuss issues involving racial justice, equity and diversity. One such outcome included the Joint Commission and

Illinois Central College’s Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund project. This project, intended for low-income, first-generation African American students, received 269 applications and enrolled 151 students in the inaugural year. Although the application process is currently closed, students not accepted were referred to other services or placed on a waiting list.

The Peoria County Board will be reviewing the Charter at an upcoming meeting.

Commission on Racial Justice and Equity Charter – Final

On August 25, 2020 / General Events & Announcements, Main Page/Facebook/Twitter

This press release was produced by the City of Peoria. The views expressed here are the author’s own.