Indiana’s Greatest Weekly Newspaper Preparing a conscious community today and beyond Friday, February 28, 2020 Since 1895 www.indianapolisrecorder.com 75 cents Council votes to address inequity, but hard part still ahead By TYLER FENWICK
[email protected] A special resolution signifying a commitment to address historical inequalities passed unani- mously in the Indianapolis City-County Council, but that will likely prove to be the easy part. The hard part — going for substantive changes — is still to come. All members of the city-county council, which consists of 20 Democrats and five Republicans, are listed as sponsors on the proposal, but coun- cil President Vop Osili, a Democrat, admitted there may be some “difficult conversations” and “difficult decisions” on the horizon. The special resolution, Proposal 85, creates a steering committee comprised of local leaders — including Osili — who participated in a work- shop led by the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) in December 2019. Kenneth Allen, chairman of the Indiana Commission on the Social Status of Black Males, speaks According to Osili, the committee has com- to students at the fifth annual Young Black Males Matter event Feb. 25 at the Indiana State- mitments from every city and county public house. (Photo/Tyler Fenwick) agency to, as the proposal reads, “use available tools to assist in the elimination of racial and social disparities across key indicators of success, including health, education, criminal justice, the environment, employment and the economy.” Challenges haven’t changed The committee then helps guide actions that are supposed to create a more equitable India- much for young Black males napolis and, where necessary, fix systems created See VOTES, A7 ® By TYLER FENWICK
[email protected] Speakers at the Young Black Males Matter event Feb.