Values Statement of the Ward 19 Democratic Committee

In light of the legacy of racism in our country and recent calls to action, we are taking time to reflect on the ways that we, as a ward committee, can do more to both understand and dismantle the persistent systems of oppression in our country.  While we seek to educate ourselves on the ways that structural racism has and continues to harm people and our communities, we are also committed to building a more inclusive and representative ward committee. We commit to turning our reflection into action and doing better to keep anti-racist efforts front and center in the work we do now and in the future. To do this work, we are committed to a framework of four types of activities to help us move forward:

1. Inward Reflection: Undertake activities designed for members of the Ward Committee along with other interested parties to educate, discuss, reflect and assess. 
2. Outreach for inclusive and diverse representation: Upon this inward reflection, develop methods to address racial justice and awareness in our community and increase and diversify participation in the Ward Committee.
3. Accountability: In addition to community outreach, it is equally important that we hold ourselves and our elected officials accountable for upholding anti-racist ideals.  We plan to use a racial justice and equity scorecard to assess legislation and officials we support. 
4. Actions: In order for progress to be made, we will also be proactive, in identifying places where we can take effective action.