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1/BREAKING: Seattle’s current mayor ( @mayorjenny) spits on Black community by shelling out $200K to a WHITE consultant to lead her hand-picked tokenized “BlPOC” task force
Speaking right to you Brittani @brittmanzo & http://NIS.us , you need to step back immediately
Speaking right to you Brittani @brittmanzo & http://NIS.us , you need to step back immediately
2/ For context: the current mayor created this hand-picked taskforce against overwhelming opposition from Seattle’s Black communities. Dozens of community leaders actively refused to participate & spoke out against it, loudly.
https://twitter.com/KCEquityNow/status/1312953564709314561?s=20 https://twitter.com/WhyICHOOSE180/status/1310262134392066049?s=20
https://twitter.com/KCEquityNow/status/1312953564709314561?s=20 https://twitter.com/WhyICHOOSE180/status/1310262134392066049?s=20
3/ The sham task force stands in direct opposition to the community-led Black Brilliance Research Project currently underway:
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-coalition-launches-public-safety-research-project-as-mayor-durkan-prepares-to-unveil-budget/ https://twitter.com/KCEquityNow/status/1316517299738693632?s=20
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/seattle-coalition-launches-public-safety-research-project-as-mayor-durkan-prepares-to-unveil-budget/ https://twitter.com/KCEquityNow/status/1316517299738693632?s=20
4/ Despite this, current mayor bragged that her cherry-picked task force would help develop “investment recommendations” for BIPOC communities to address “systemic racism & institutionalized oppression.” https://durkan.seattle.gov/2020/10/equitable-communities-initiative-task-force-launches-to-guide-historic-100-million-investment-in-bipoc-communities/
5/ So, who did the current mayor shell-out 200K to & select to address local, anti-Black “systemic racism & institutionalized oppression”?
...A white woman…
SIT WITH THAT.
https://www.nis.us/brittani-manzo
https://frontporch.seattle.gov/2020/10/06/seattle-department-of-neighborhoods-seeks-facilitator-for-equitable-communities-initiative-task-force/
Let’s unpack the layers of anti-Blackness:
...A white woman…
SIT WITH THAT.
https://www.nis.us/brittani-manzo
https://frontporch.seattle.gov/2020/10/06/seattle-department-of-neighborhoods-seeks-facilitator-for-equitable-communities-initiative-task-force/
Let’s unpack the layers of anti-Blackness:
6/ Elevating a white person to lead a group of Black & brown people on how to create thriving Black communities is anti-Black, colonial, & white supremacist.
This is obvious & doesn’t require interrogation. White people are not equipped to lead Black people. Period.
This is obvious & doesn’t require interrogation. White people are not equipped to lead Black people. Period.
7/Shelling out nearly 1/4 of a million dollars(!) to a white woman to lead Black & brown people while actively blocking funds for local Black equity solutions—gun violence prevention, Black Brilliance Research, community scale-ups—is heinously anti-Black. https://kingcountyequitynow.quorum.us/campaign/28548/
8/ Contrast the nearly quarter million dollars that this one white woman will receive to oversee Black folks against:
The average income for Black HOUSEHOLDS in Seattle: $42,500
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattles-median-income-soars-past-100000-but-wealth-doesnt-reach-all/
The average income for Black HOUSEHOLDS in Seattle: $42,500
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/seattles-median-income-soars-past-100000-but-wealth-doesnt-reach-all/
9/ Contrast the nearly quarter million dollars this one white woman will receive to oversee Black folks against:
The average net worth for Black households: $23,000
The Black & white wealth gap in Seattle: $433,000.00
The average net worth for Black households: $23,000
The Black & white wealth gap in Seattle: $433,000.00
10/ These are the decisions that lead to the Jim Crow Apartheid state in Seattle. These specific decisions are why the vast racial disparities persist.
11/ To @brittmanzo: that you would think you’re qualified to enter this space & accept these resources immediately disqualifies both you & your org from this work. Take this as a learning opportunity. Immediately & respectfully bow out.
12/ To the NYC consulting firm involved: you tout publicly that to “counter white supremacy & white dominant cultural norms...the people you serve must lead.”
https://www.nis.us/mission-vision-and-values.
https://www.nis.us/mission-vision-and-values.
13/ So, let us, the 10s of thousands of Black taxpayers that just funded your $200K contract, state plainly: that you would send a white lead to facilitate this sham, anti-Black task force is a disgrace to Seattle’s Black communities. https://twitter.com/KCEquityNow/status/1318956251162705920?s=20
14/ NIS needs internal interrogation/work before ever taking a leadership or active role in any Black community in the country. Immediately & respectfully bow out. https://www.nis.us/contact
