CITY OF SHORELINE

SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL

SUMMARY MINUTES OF SPECIAL JOINT MEETING

Wednesday, October 21, 2020                                                       Held Remotely via Zoom

7:00 p.m.

PRESENT:  Mayor Hall, Deputy Mayor Scully, Councilmembers McConnell, Chang, and Roberts

ABSENT:    Councilmembers McGlashan and Robertson

STAFF:        Debbie Tarry, City Manager; Pollie McCloskey, Executive Assistant; Suni Tolton, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator

GUESTS:     DarNesha Weary, Racial Equity Consultant of Let’s Do Work

Planning Commission Members: Chair Laura Mork, Vice Chair Jack Malek, Janelle Callahan, Julius Rwamashongye, Pam Sager

Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services/Tree Board Members: Vice Chair William Franklin, Bruce Amundson, Sara Raab McInerny, Elizabeth White

At 7:00p.m. the workshop co-facilitators, Suni Tolton and DarNesha Weary, began the meeting and asked all participants to introduce themselves, share their experience with racial equity work, and identify what they need to increase their ability to advance racial equity. There was a range of experiences and interests shared with some having had no training previously and others who have been engaged in racial equity and advocacy work in other roles. Ms. Tolton and Ms. Weary gave an overview of the workshop training content and goals, which were to gain awareness of the history of race, implicit and explicit bias, and individual, institutional and structural racism and how it impacts our lives; clarify key terms and concepts; and motivate participants to take action. It was explained that the workshop is a modification of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE)/Race Forward training “Advancing Racial Equity: The Role of Government”.  Ms. Tolton explained that the training is built on the basic assumptions that 1) race matters; 2) institutions and systems maintain and perpetuate racism and inequities; and 3) government has a responsibility for ending inequitable outcomes and advancing racial equity.

After the workshop overview, participants were led through an activity called “Laying it on the Line”, where they were asked to listen to three statements and indicate whether they agreed or disagreed and why. The focus was not about whether a statement was right or wrong, but to highlight how perspectives, values, and beliefs shape actions.

The next exercise asked for participants to reflect on their early experiences with race. They were asked to reflect on the racial diversity in their neighborhoods growing up; how they remember racial differences were addressed; and if they saw racially diverse public officials. Participants were then paired up with one other participant in a breakout room to discuss their experiences. However, due to some challenges in joining the breakout rooms and lack of time, participants only had time to answer one question before rejoining the main zoom webinar.

Participants were asked to share any comments before closing the session and were invited to watch the Race: the Power of an Illusion videos and engage in other learning opportunities before the next session in order to continue to build their capacity to engage in discussions on racial equity.

Ms. Tolton informed participants that the next workshop session would take place on Wednesday, November 18 at 7:00 p.m. and would focus on implicit bias and defining terms.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

/s/Suni Tolton, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator