MoCo Tackles Racial Inequities, Social Injustices In New Bill

ROCKVILLE, MD — Government leaders in Maryland's most populous county introduced an ambitious bill on Tuesday that would combat racial inequities in the region. The Racial Equity and Social Justice Act is spearheaded by Montgomery County Council President Nancy Navarro and co-sponsored by all nine council members.

The new bill would establish an Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice in the executive branch and require leaders to adopt a countywide racial equity and social justice action plan.

It would also require that legislation, government programs, and public policy initiatives include a racial equity and social justice impact statement. In other words, whenever public officials compile a master plan or proposal, they must include a report that outlines the potential effects their policies could have on different racial groups.

"The Racial Equity and Social Justice Act reinforces our commitment to being a welcoming community where all of our residents are treated with respect and dignity and provided with opportunities to succeed," Navarro said. "Although not unique to our county, many of our community members suffer from stark disparities linked to hundreds of years of institutionalized racism, and this will persist without intentional intervention. Bill 27-19 will ensure that county government is working to dismantle inequity on an individual, institutional and structural level in an organized way with established goals and ongoing benchmarks to evaluate our progress."

Work on the bill first began in April 2018 when the former county council passed a resolution that established a framework to tackle racial and social inequities. That resolution was also spearheaded by Navarro.

Since then, the county council and County Executive Marc Elrich have held multiple meetings with the community on racial equity and social justice issues.

Many of those conversations, according to officials, centered on the fact that key decisions — be it education, health care, or housing — were made by county officials. And that there was a need for some sort of racial equity and social justice reform.

"Today marks a significant step forward as we work to address racial equity in Montgomery County," Elrich said on Tuesday. "I have been encouraged by the amazing conversations we have engaged in with people and communities throughout this county over the last few months. This bill is an example of Montgomery County's commitment to viewing the world through a racial equity lens, which will guide the creation of our policies and procedures."

County leaders will be holding public hearings on the Racial Equity and Social Justice Act on Oct. 29 at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Residents can start signing up for the hearings on Sept. 20.