Letter to City Council
Dear Mayor Williams and members of the City Council ,
Thank you for the opportunity to serve as the Arlington Unity Council . This report is the result of our meetings , expert speakers , public input through interviews , town hall meetings and focus groups as well as the work we have done since our appointment in July of 2020 . The core of your charge to us – to gather community input , seek strategies and create an equity plan to eliminate racism and other forms of discrimination – has guided us and our work over these past eight months .
As you can see , we are a diverse group in many ways . One thing we all have in common is our love for Arlington and our fellow residents . Our work together has brought us a variety of viewpoints . Via the virtual format that we have used this year , many of us have formed new connections with people we might have never had the occasion to meet without the experience on the Unity Council . We hope that our work together , our struggle to reach consensus and our unity will provide an example to Arlington residents that it is possible to work with people who are different and truly enjoy the experience .
We hope this report will begin the necessary and important work of addressing racial inequities in Arlington . While this report captures a snapshot in time , the recommendations contained in this report are meant to be a beginning , not the final answer . Many of these recommendations cannot be accomplished by the City alone and will require the collaboration of community partners . In several places , you will see the recommendation to continue the work of the Unity Council beyond the transmittal of this report . The topics we have addressed are complex and several have angles and depths that our time together could not explore adequately . Additionally , there may be more areas that need to be addressed and we hope that the City Council will support an opportunity to do so .
Thank you for the honor to serve as members of the Arlington Unity Council . We appreciate the support the Mayor and Council have shown for this important topic .
The Unity Council
Unity Council Report 4