'Everyone gets the same chance,' with new City of Dallas racial equity plan
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - How do you address historic racial inequities in neighborhoods throughout Dallas? That was the goal of the Racial Equity Plan, which the city council approved in August.
"The constant reckoning and revaluation of what should be told when it comes to history, but also what should be done about those things are now being made lay plain in things like the Racial Equity Plan," said Jerry Hawkins, Executive Director of Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation.
Through that lens, the city identified five main and what they call big, audacious goals: infrastructure, economic, workforce, and community development, environmental justice, housing and public safety and wellness. They've allocated $42 million, $20 million of which comes from sales tax.
"The idea is that Dallas will become a fully inclusive city economically," said council member Jaynie Schultz. "Everyone will get the same chances."
That includes providing assistance to families in equity priority areas, including a $250 monthly stipend. It also includes helping families keep their homes or buy new ones, remedying environmental hazards, and updating the neighborhoods where they live.
It also includes building new parks and green space, including expansion of the Five Mile Creek Greenbelt. But Dallas resident Hawkins thinks the funds would be best used by going straight into the pockets of those in need.
"Doing this for the city, particularly for working residents who live in very segregated and hyper-poverty communities, it's a really big step," he said.