Letter to City Council
Dear Mayor Ross and Arlington City Council Members ,
Thank you for the opportunity to continue the important work of the Arlington Unity Council . Since its inception in 2020 and its resulting Report of Recommendations in 2021 , the Unity Council has remained both diligent and intentional in efforts to mitigate disparities amongst racial and ethnic groups throughout Arlington . Additionally , the Unity Council has served as both an operational model and conduit for bringing the diverse voices of the city together for the common purpose of engendering greater inclusivity , understanding and unity amongst all Arlington residents and stakeholders .
Our collective efforts have been denoted by substantial progress in many areas . For example , the recommendation for the City to create and hire a Chief Equity Officer has been fulfilled .
As a result of this hiring , the City has brought a much keener focus to the equitable implementation of the 57 recommendations set forth in our original report . Of those recommendations , all 57 have either been fully addressed or initiated to varying degrees .
With respect to other highlights of progress , we can point to several specific achievements of the Unity Council and the City ’ s dedicated staff . In the area of public safety , the recommendations set forth by the Unity Council have been largely implemented by the Arlington Police Department . With respect to housing patterns throughout the city , the data demonstrates that the city ’ s neighborhoods continue to become more diverse , particularly when correlated with the increasing levels of academic achievement amongst minorities in those same areas . Considerations of equity and diminishing barriers to resources and opportunity are being made across all aspects of city government and our residents are benefiting . Most significantly , many of the city ’ s traditionally disenfranchised populations are being engaged and given voice through the establishment of community-focused coalitions like the Arlington Latino Resource Coalition .
Unity Council Report 2023 4