The City of Healdsburg is moving forward with plans to work with equity consultant Acosta Latino Learning Partnership (ALLP) in an effort to nurture and improve diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the Healdsburg community.
“This work that our city is about to embark (on) is very important to me. A lot of this conversation did come out from the Black Lives Matter movement, that essentially is the reasoning and part of why I’m serving on council and so I am excited to be able to continue conversations around equity, inclusion and belonging,” Mayor Ozzy Jimenez said during the Feb. 7 city council meeting.
ALLP attended the Feb. 7 city council meeting in order to provide an overview of their proposal and for the council to provide feedback, if needed.
The consultant will help with a variety of needs and programs identified by the city council Ad Hoc Committee on Equity, which is composed of Mayor Jimenez and Councilmember Skylaer Palacios.
Some of the needs and programs identified include community town halls on equity-based discussions; a community assessment to assess perspectives and experiences; remove barriers to community dialogue; and develop a three to five-year diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) action plan; among others.
The Ad Hoc Committee selected ALLP as the city’s DEI consultant after the committee set a budget of $75,000 for consultant work and sent out a request for proposals.
Seven qualified firms responded to the request and the committee agreed, after a lengthy interview process, that ALLP would be the best consultant based on the group’s solid understanding of the project needs and a focus on Healdsburg’s Latinx community and on their competent interview answers.
The Acosta group is the same organization that’s been working for the past year with the Healdsburg Unified School District on staff unconscious bias training and the development of an ethnic studies curriculum.
The ALLP team is made up of several equity academics and experts, executive director Curtis Acosta, an assistant professor in teaching, learning and sociocultural studies at the University of Arizona; Carlos Hagedorn, an ethnic studies instructor at San Francisco State University, Sonoma State University and Napa Valley College; and Deyanira Nevarez Martinez, who has worked in the nonprofit sector and is currently a faculty member in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the School of Planning, Design and Construction at Michigan State University.
“Our collective goal is to help create a community culture and environment that lives up to the lofty aspirations of the mural in the Plaza that in fact all people truly belong here,” Acosta said, referencing the “you belong here” art installation in the downtown Plaza.
The proposed scope of work includes a DEI assessment, a series of Healdsburg equity encuentros (gatherings), a community encuentros and the creation of a three to five-year DEI plan.
According to Martinez, the ALLP team will co-construct a qualitative and quantitative study with local stakeholders where the residents of Healdsburg give voice to issues of equity and an assessment of priority areas and opportunities for transformation.
“The intention of the study is for providing baseline data that can inform future work, as well as establish benchmarks for future studies in the effectiveness of equity initiatives,” according to the proposal.
Another aspect of their scope of work is a series of education events called “Healdsburg Community Equity Encuentros,” the aim of which will be to bring communities together to learn deeply about systemic barriers that impede equal opportunities for all.
Potential topics for discussion at equity encuentros events include, “I never learned that in school”: A local history of inequality and disenfranchisement; community/cultural wealth of Healdsburg and revisioning our public spaces; exploring local personal stories that tie into the theme of “you belong here;” and navigating systems: School systems, physical/mental health, employment and housing.
All of ALLP’s work is framed around the ancient Mayan philosophy of “In Lak’ech,” you are my other me. Chicano playwright Luis Valdez famously summarized the concept of “In Lak’ech,” in a poem:
Tú eres mi otro yo / You are my other me.
Si te hago daño a ti / If I do harm to you,
Me hago daño a mí mismo / I do harm to myself;
Si te amo y respeto / If I love and respect you,
Me amo y respeto yo/ I love and respect myself
With this in mind, one of the suggested equity encuentros is to learn about “In Lak’ech” as a framework for equity.
Hagedorn, who helped with the presentation on Monday, said the hope is that the community encuentros become a tradition for the city that is sustained long after ALLP’s work.
The community encuentros is envisioned as a series of three town halls-encuentros that range in format in order to be inclusive of the diversity of cultures, responsibilities and lifestyles of Healdsburg.
One encuentros would be conducted in English and the other would be in both English and Spanish and at least one event would be specifically tailored for the Spanish speaking community.
Regarding the DEI plan, the consultant team will work closely with the city and residents to create a study and a plan that addresses priorities and opportunities for transformation. This can include, but not limited to, internal hiring practices, DEI training for employees, equitable provisions to city services and program and infrastructure.
Vice Mayor Ariel Kelley opined that the city’s workforce should reflect the town and it currently doesn’t. She asked how the city can get local youth involved in the possibility of later working with the city.
Martinez said they could recommend an apprentice program or an internship program or leadership academies for youth.
Jimenez asked how ALLP would engage those in the broader Healdsburg community and create an environment that those in the broader audience, and in marginalized communities, would feel comfortable in.
Acosta said one of the ways you break down those walls is working with everyone. He cited his work with the Healdsburg Unified School District in working with all staff and teachers on equity and bias training.
“Often what you’re looking for is somebody who wants to be courageous enough to start the conversation and you’re looking at the right team to do that. We’re comfortable in the uncomfortable and at the same time we stay rooted in ‘In Lak’ech,’” Acosta said.
A few Healdsburg community members were excited about working on DEI with the Acosta group. During the public comment portion of the meeting, Richard Burg said he’s excited for the engagement process with the consultants.
Lisa Wittake Schaffner said, “This is an exciting time. We should celebrate this moment for the city of Healdsburg.”
Jenny Levine Smith, who’s worked with the Acosta group in the school district, said she’s “over the moon” about the partnership, and Corazón Healdsburg CEO Glaydon de Freitas also expressed excitement about the city’s work with Acosta.
Vice Mayor Kelley said she is eager to begin the real work and Jimenez shared this sentiment.
“I welcome this to the city of Healdsburg,” Jimenez said.
The proposal and the scope of work agreement, a total of $74,000 for their scope of work, will come back to a future meeting for city council approval.
