Equitable and Inclusive Wilsonville
In the spring of 2020, the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery forced many Americans to directly confront racism and police brutality. These deaths and others sparked a renewed interest in the fight to correct systemic injustices that suppress Black communities in the United States. National Public Radio called it The Summer of Racial Reckoning.
In the City of Wilsonville, staff and elected officials believe that Black Lives Matter. The City is taking deliberate steps to listen to and support the Black community and other groups historically marginalized, mistreated, under-represented or excluded. Wilsonville strives to treats all residents, visitors and workers honorably and equitably at all times.
On June 1, 2020, Wilsonville Police Chief Rob Wurpes spoke to the City Council about community policing in Wilsonville, including hiring and training protocols, use of force and discipline.
The Portland-area Metropolitan Mayors' Consortium, of which Wilsonville Mayor Julie Fitzgerald is a member, issued a pledge in 2020 to continue building more equitable communities:
"We also stand united in our support of the peaceful protests which testify to the systemic and institutional racial violence that plagues our nation. We recognize our responsibility to heed this collective expression of grief and justice with humility, and we accept our obligation to be agents of institutional change. There is a long road ahead, but the work must be engaged expediently, and it starts with us at the local level. As mayors, we must initiate the work with contrition, empathy, open minds, and love."
Diversity, equity and inclusion committee
At the direction of the City Council in January 2021, the City is establishing a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee (Ver página en español) to identify and address systemic barriers to inclusion that exist within the City’s practices, processes, regulations, events and other initiatives. The committee, once seated, will begin meeting regularly to establish the City’s DEI Strategy, and to begin identifying and addressing that which excludes or marginalizes anyone on any basis, including and not limited to their age, gender, race, culture, sexual orientation, religion or abilities. The process of standing up the committee has been led by DEI consultant and author Bill de la Cruz and informed by informal conversations with community members advocating for DEI progress. Two such advocates joined City staff on a five-person panel that reviewed applications and recommended 24 preferred candidates to the City Council for consideration.
The establishment of a DEI committee was a direct request made by the community at a Dec. 8, 2020, listening session hosted by the City Council to engage the broader community. This virtual town hall allowed residents and other community stakeholders an open forum to discuss personal experiences, concerns and needs to ensure that Wilsonville is working to provide a high quality of life for every resident regardless of race, gender identity, age, religion or ability.
Inclusive City Declaration
The City Council's intention to provide an equitable and inclusive City for all residents and visitors was first articulated in 2017, when the City Council unanimously passed Resolution 2626, declaring Wilsonville as “an inclusive City that has and will continue to welcome the collective contributions of all persons, honoring and respecting people of every race, color, national origin, immigration or refugee status, heritage, culture.”
Representation Matters
The City's has several boards and commissions that assist in the governance of the community; Wilsonville residents are encouraged to participate. All appointments to boards and/or commissions are made by the Mayor and confirmed by a vote of the City Council; 13 people are to be appointed to new terms that begin in 2021.
The annual Citizens Academy provides residents with a closer look at local government, and the role elected officials play. The group, which is limited to about 25 residents per year, typically meets on a weekday night for several weeks starting every January.
