Honorable Mayor and City Council Members,
I am writing to strongly encourage Menlo Park to elevate its urgency and community involvement toward developing, implementing, overseeing, and communicating anti-racist policies and practices for our City. Our essential work starts by advancing the Racial Equity Baseline Project included in Tuesday’s Council Agenda, guided by the expertise of Dr. Terri Givens. Let us truly honor Black History Month by taking this critical first step out of respect for our past, present and future community members who deserve racial equity and reparation.
I appreciate the community dialogues around policing that began under Cecilia Taylor’s leadership as Mayor last year in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and the recent dialogue around racism in our community facilitated by Councilmember Ray Mueller. It’s clear from these conversations that racism persists in our community, and that more needs to be done to create a culture that honors and celebrates the diversity of people who live, work, and visit Menlo Park.
I would like Menlo Park to develop a progressive agenda focused on racial equity AND create more ways for the community to be involved in the development of policies that impact peoples’ experiences. Beyond expeditiously funding and prioritizing the Racial Equity Baseline Project, Council should consider creating a racial equity task force or a city Commission focused on racial justice. A potential model is Palo Alto’s Human Relations Commission and their Race & Equity framework and action plan - https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/raceandequity.
Thank you for your leadership in ensuring that our community is truly anti-racist in policy and practice for ALL of its people!
Thank you,
Erin Cooke
628 Cambridge Avenue, Menlo Park
