Press Release: Racial Equity Achieves Results Act Passes Final Vote

News Release — Ward 5 DC Council member Kenyan McDuffie

REACH Act authored by Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie passes unanimously establishing a Racial Equity Framework Across The Entire District Government.

The proposed legislation will create an office of Racial Equity, led by the District’s New Chief Equity Officer, responsible for advancing racial equity across all agencies under the Mayor.

The REACH Act will require a racial equity training for all District of Columbia government employees and for members of all boards and commissions.

Establishes a racial equity advisory board and Council Commission on Racial Equity, Social Justice, and Economic Inclusion.

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Contact: Jonathan McNair

Washington, DC – Today, the Council of The District of Columbia passed the Racial Equity Achieves Results (REACH) Amendment Act of 2020 authored by Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie, Chair of the Committee on Business and Economic Development.

The measure will require the Office of Human Rights and the Department of Human Resources to develop and provide racial equity training for all District employees. It requires the Office of Budget and Planning to design and implement a racial equity tool to aid in eliminating disparities based on race through the budget process. The Reach Act will require a racial equity impact assessment on certain council measures. The measure also requires the Mayor to include racial equity-related performance measures in the development of an agency’s annual performance plans. The measure was previously funded in the FY21 Budget Support Act and will go into effect once signed by the Mayor.

Councilmember McDuffie said:

“The REACH Act is a bold and intentional step needed to address our cities inequities and ensure our Black and Brown residents who have suffered from government sanctioned oppression suffer no longer. The passing of the REACH Act will fundamentally change the way we govern and legislate here in the District of Columbia. Only by building systems that are intentional in their design to account for implicit bias and systemic inequities, will every District resident truly have the same opportunities to prosper in our society.”

This legislation builds upon Councilmember McDuffie’s work to advance racial equity in policymaking in the District of Columbia, which include:

• Authoring the Reparations Task Force Establishment Act of 2020 to establish a 9-member task force to study and develop reparations proposals for African Americans in the District of Columbia
• Sense of the Council to Declare Racism A Public Health Crisis in the District of Columbia Resolution of 2020, to declare racism a public health crisis in the District of Columbia, acknowledging that racism has resulted in race being identified as a social determinant of health.
• Hosting an upcoming Symposium on Race and Policy on Thursday, January 17, 2019.
• Successfully leading the effort for the Council of the District of Columbia to become a member of the Government Alliance on Racial Equity (GARE), a national network of leaders working to achieve racial equity within and through government.
• Convening a Racial Equity Working Group, consisting of a diverse body of industry and community leaders committed to normalizing conversations about race, operationalizing new policies, eliminating occurrences of racial discrimination, and implementing a city-wide strategy to achieve racial equity in the District of Columbia.
• Facilitating racial equity training for all members and staff of the Council of the District of Columbia.
• Spearheading introduction of the “Sense of the Council on Establishing Race, Equity, and Social Justice Resolution of 2017.”