A joint commission consisting of the bicycle and pedestrian advisory councils fielded a presentation Tuesday from the Equity Office on the history of racism in Austin. Topics ranged from redlining and gentrification to the schism between Austin’s stated values and contradicting realities. Kellee Coleman with the Equity Office drew attention to discrepancies between some of […]
Equity Office
Posted inAustin
City to replace five more names dedicated to Confederate history and white supremacy
In line with a resolution that called for the renaming of city assets whose names were associated with white supremacy and Confederate history, the city is moving forward with five more name changes. A Dec. 2 memo from Chief Equity Officer Brion Oaks to City Council identified the five assets as Metz Park, Metz Pool, […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Austin’s Equity Office
Brion Oaks and Kellee Coleman head up the city’s Equity Office. Today they join Austin Monitor reporter Jessi Devenyns and editor Elizabeth Pagano to talk about the creation and mission of their office and how they are working with city departments to make the city a more equitable place. Listen in below for more on […]
Posted inAustin
Equity Office proposes renaming 7 Confederate streets – and even the city itself
The Equity Office is recommending the city remove or change the names of streets, parks and markers in Austin that honor the Confederate States of America and slavery. The office also suggests eschewing the name “Austin” altogether, as Stephen F. Austin fought to defend slavery in the Texas Revolution and supported the institution after the […]
Posted inCity Council
Equity Office tries to make good on year-old institutional racism report
Austin’s Equity Office is considering how to make good on a report published last April that laid out more than 200 recommendations for how the city can combat institutional racism. “We sent out the report to all of our city departments and requested that they actually review and read the report and also to respond back […]
Posted inCity Hall
Equity Office asks city to look through a new lens
In the fall of 2016, the city of Austin readjusted its rudder and straightened itself on a course toward equity. Ten months ago, Brion Oaks stepped in as the chief equity officer of the newly established Equity Office, which is a dedicated city-funded effort to eradicate disparities in Austin. The Equity Office stems from City […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: What is equity, really?
There’s always a silver lining… If you only read the transcript of Mary Owens’ remarks to City Council during Citizen Communication on Thursday – and therefore could not hear the frustration and contempt conveyed by the tone of her voice – you might believe that she is hopelessly committed to believing the best about people. […]
Posted inCity Hall
Newly created Equity Office to address lack of equal representation in city government
Austin is a majority-minority city, or, in other words, a city where no demographic group forms a majority of the population. But that status presents considerable challenges when it comes to making sure Austin’s diverse population is represented equally in city government. In a move to address long-running issues of inequality in Austin, city officials […]