Call for participation on Community Council equity committee

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Editor’s note: This report and call for participation is from Vashon-Maury Island Community Council.

Racist graffiti on a large wall just north of the town intersection spurred many in the Community Council into action to address intolerance and inequity on Vashon Island.

Kevin Jones proposed that we form a Community Council Equity Committee and about 15 people have signed on.

In our initial discussion, we decided that a state of equity means that every human being is of value, worthy of respect, and must have an equal opportunity to achieve security and happiness, no matter their age, gender, level of ability, race, ethnicity, culture, or economic status.

In a true representative democracy, everybody’s voice should carry equal weight which means that our pursuit of true democracy requires a commitment to achieve true equity.

We all agreed that we have a long way to go. Perfect equity is a goal to strive for rather than an end state to be achieved, as much as we would like it to be. Human nature is such that we have to be constantly vigilant that we don’t stray far from the path.

This brought up the discussion about what the Community Council could do to promote equity here on Vashon Island. The following question is what we should do? And lastly, how to go about it. We will need to have a far-ranging discussion to touch on the many ways that equity, or lack of it, manifests in our community. We also need to have as many voices and as many viewpoints as possible involved in the discussion.

The purpose of this committee is to construct the lens through which the Vashon Community Council can evaluate all its activities. Does a particular action promote equity or not? How do we make all of us aware that this is important?

If you are of a group or advocate for a group that is getting marginalized in any way, we would like to have your voice on the committee. If you are worried about the health or continued existence of our democracy, this is where the rubber meets the road.

There are several ways to get in touch if you are interested in lending your insight and energy to this project. Fill out the survey located at bit.ly/VMICC-EC and we will be in touch. Or, contact Kevin Jones at kevinjonvash@gmail.com. If you are not an emailer, call me, Terry Sullivan, at 206-463-2812 and I will act as an intermediary.

If you would like to be kept informed of our progress so that you can weigh in on the discussion when inspired to do so, we can arrange that also.

Terry Sullivan is a 50-year island resident and long-time activist.