Phoenix City Leaders Could Undergo Equity Training

Published: Monday, March 18, 2019 - 11:48am
Christina Estes/KJZZ
Phoenix City Hall.

A Phoenix councilwoman is trying to raise private money to conduct special training for city leadership.

Laura Pastor wants to see managers in departments like transit, parks, neighborhood services, and others to participate in racial equity training. It would focus on recognizing the government’s role in racial inequities and find ways to improve or change systems.

“We have been hearing for the last, I would say three years, two years, three years, speaking about equity from all forms, starting from the budget all the way down to the police department,” she said during last week’s economic development subcommittee.

Pastor told the council subcommittee she’s secured $55,000 from the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Vitalyst, and needs to secure another $100,000 to cover the training provided by the Government Alliance for Race and Equity (GARE).

“I think this is one way of everybody understanding what the community is asking for and being able to holistically move together and make our city great,” she said.

According to GARE’s website, training focuses on recognizing the government’s role in racial inequities and findings ways to ‘implement policy change at multiple levels and across multiple sectors to drive larger systemic change.’