Ward 1 Alderman Matthew McLaughlin suggested to the Board that the Racism Assessment Tools developed in Seattle might also be a good fit for Somerville.

By Jim Clark

A resolution put forward by Ward 1 Alderman Matthew McLaughlin was discussed and approved by the Board of Aldermen at their most recent regular meeting proposing that the city consider implementing the Racism Assessment Tools offered by Race Forward that were implemented in Seattle to gauge municipal bias.

Speaking in favor of the resolution, McLaughlin told the Board, “This Racial Equity Assessment Toolkit is something the city of Seattle did to gauge how the city reacts to low-income minority neighborhoods, to see if they are being treated equitably.”

The alderman went on to tell the Board that he felt it is a great tool and that it should be looked into by the City of Somerville.

A Racial Equity Impact Assessment (REIA) is a systematic examination of how different racial and ethnic groups will likely be affected by a proposed action or decision. REIAs are used to minimize unanticipated adverse consequences in a variety of contexts, including the analysis of proposed policies, institutional practices, programs, plans and budgetary decisions.

Accordingly, the REIA can be a vital tool for preventing institutional racism and for identifying new options to remedy long-standing inequities.