Whatcom Racial Equity Commission caps its first year, prepares to ‘amplify’ key issues
In advance of holidays that observe Treaty Day and the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King, the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission has released its first annual report.
Formed by the Whatcom County Council in late 2022 as a quasi-governmental organization, the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission’s initial year was mostly organizational in scope.
Commission members were appointed last spring, and Miriam Karamoko was named executive director in July. The commission’s first monthly meeting was in June, and Karamoko and commission members spent the rest of the year laying a foundation for the tasks ahead.
”A lot of great work is already being done in Whatcom County. What we’re hoping to do is bring people together,” Karamoko told The Herald in a telephone interview.
The panel’s mission is to promote diversity and advise elected officials on policy to address disparities that affect people of color in a range of areas, including economic, educational, housing, health care and criminal justice. It’s a close cousin to the Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence.
Commission members are planning a retreat next month to discuss 12 areas of focus that commission members identified through decision-making process that combines Martha’s Rules of Order and the Seeds for Change consensus model.
Karamoko said it’s “a new idea, a new way of thinking,” that gives everyone in the group a stake in its decisions. Karamoko sees the executive director’s role as more of a guide than a leader.
“It takes more time, but you’re bringing people along,” Karamoko said.
According to a draft copy of the annual report that was provided to The Herald, the 12 areas of focus that the group identified are economic mobility, the justice system, education, mental health, systemic and structural racism, health, environmental justice, food security, housing, substance use, immigration and county participatory processes.
“These are the freshest, top-of-the-mind things that are happening. There’s already great work that is happening in Whatcom County. I’m not interested in replicating. I’m interested in amplifying,” Karamoko said.
In the coming months, the commission’s website will be finalized. For now, information about the Racial Equity Commission is at the Chuckanut Health Foundation website. Its meetings are public and volunteers are welcome, Karamoko said.
Once the annual report is finalized, it will be posted online.
