Burlington’s mayor laid out his plan for the queen city over the next year in his city address on Monday night. The address was highly anticipated following the recent controversial events in the city. It was surprising for advocates that the majority of his speech was about addressing racial injustice throughout the city. However, they say they’re hoping his words turn into actions. ”We’re at the point where we’re saying, words are one thing, but actions really matter.” LONG-TIME BURLINGTON COMMUNITY ORGANIZER Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, pulling back calls for Mayor Weinberger to resign. “We were a little bit taken off guard that he focused the entire speech on racial justice. We were not expecting that considering how everything else has gone with the mayor.”His agenda for the next year makes improving racial injustice throughout the city a top priority going forward. A key to that success will be the work done by the city’s racial equity, inclusion and belonging department.“The end of this month, I will issue an executive order to formalize the racial equity tool kit that REIB has created, make it public, and require its use every time we develop a new policy or initiative,” said Weinberger. REIB Director Tyeastia Green now spear-heading what she believes in a plan Burlingtonians can stand by. “I am confident in what he said, and I am looking forward to working with him on those things,” Green said. His plan includes housing for all. Weinberger says according to the 2019 census, only 18 out of 6,000 owner-occupied homes in Burlington were Black-owned, that’s 0.3%. He wants to change that. “We’ll hold another housing summit with a strong focus on expanding our collective understanding of housing equities and centering racial justice in the Solutions,” Weinberger said. Also acknowledging, the upcoming one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, and the conversation around police reform. Saying, “Over the next year, we must continue to grapple with overcoming the history of racial injustice in law enforcement.”Cities across the country hold Juneteenth celebrations to promote knowledge and appreciation of Black resilience, culture and history. This year? Weinberger wants Burlington to be a part of that. “The city of Burlington will join this national movement in hosting a major celebration with free events, free food and entertainment, and also educational opportunities that speak to work we still have to do to make sure that everyone in America can access the foundational rights in this country,” he said. Tyeastia Green, saying it what’s she’s most excited about moving forward. Saying, it’s going to be very educational considering, when she came to Vermont, she learned that a lot of people didn’t know what Juneteenth was. While calls for his resignation have subsided for now, the mayor promises to strive for a better tomorrow. To, “be a city where all belong, must become a place where all Black and brown Burlingtonians are safe, protected, and not threatened by our public safety systems”
Burlington’s mayor laid out his plan for the queen city over the next year in his city address on Monday night. The address was highly anticipated following the recent controversial events in the city.
It was surprising for advocates that the majority of his speech was about addressing racial injustice throughout the city. However, they say they’re hoping his words turn into actions.
”We’re at the point where we’re saying, words are one thing, but actions really matter.” LONG-TIME BURLINGTON COMMUNITY ORGANIZER Llu Mulvaney-Stanak, pulling back calls for Mayor Weinberger to resign. “We were a little bit taken off guard that he focused the entire speech on racial justice. We were not expecting that considering how everything else has gone with the mayor.”
His agenda for the next year makes improving racial injustice throughout the city a top priority going forward. A key to that success will be the work done by the city’s racial equity, inclusion and belonging department.
“The end of this month, I will issue an executive order to formalize the racial equity tool kit that REIB has created, make it public, and require its use every time we develop a new policy or initiative,” said Weinberger.
REIB Director Tyeastia Green now spear-heading what she believes in a plan Burlingtonians can stand by.
“I am confident in what he said, and I am looking forward to working with him on those things,” Green said.
His plan includes housing for all. Weinberger says according to the 2019 census, only 18 out of 6,000 owner-occupied homes in Burlington were Black-owned, that’s 0.3%. He wants to change that.
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“We’ll hold another housing summit with a strong focus on expanding our collective understanding of housing equities and centering racial justice in the Solutions,” Weinberger said.
Also acknowledging, the upcoming one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd, and the conversation around police reform. Saying, “Over the next year, we must continue to grapple with overcoming the history of racial injustice in law enforcement.”
Cities across the country hold Juneteenth celebrations to promote knowledge and appreciation of Black resilience, culture and history. This year? Weinberger wants Burlington to be a part of that.
“The city of Burlington will join this national movement in hosting a major celebration with free events, free food and entertainment, and also educational opportunities that speak to work we still have to do to make sure that everyone in America can access the foundational rights in this country,” he said.
Tyeastia Green, saying it what’s she’s most excited about moving forward. Saying, it’s going to be very educational considering, when she came to Vermont, she learned that a lot of people didn’t know what Juneteenth was.
While calls for his resignation have subsided for now, the mayor promises to strive for a better tomorrow. To, “be a city where all belong, must become a place where all Black and brown Burlingtonians are safe, protected, and not threatened by our public safety systems”