A report issued Monday by the Vermont Student Anti-Racism Network, a group of students from across the state, calls on the state to adopt reforms aimed at social, economic and racial justice.
While the community assessment is viewed as unrepresentative of the city’s population — it’s made up of largely white, high-income and highly educated people — some say it could still help determine the future of public safety in Burlington.
A highly anticipated report produced by Talitha Consults did not meet contract expectations and lacks valuable recommendations about how the city can transform the Burlington Police Department, according to Skyler Nash, an analyst in the city’s Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Office.
Speakers called for an end to equity programs in public education during an event Wednesday night that aligned with a nationwide push among conservative activists to ban conversations about racism from local schools.
After a 10-hour deliberation, the jury found former Minneapolis cop Derek Chauvin guilty on two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter for the death of George Floyd.
The state has relied on community leaders to build trust and spread the word about the Covid vaccine. “I can use my voice because my community trusts me, even though they are hesitant to get the vaccine,” said Irene Webster, who has helped lead outreach to African communities.
Vermont's racial equity director says "out-of-state 'xenophobia,'" deepened by the pandemic, remains a key barrier to achieving equity.
A long legacy of systemic racism is hard to overcome, even though Black people contract Covid at three times the rate for white people.
A report on racial equity highlights unsettling problems in Vermont. “The experiences we heard from some of them were really just harrowing, discouraging and troubling.”
Xusana Davis, Vermont’s first executive director of racial equity, has had a busy first year and a half on the job. Some think her expanding duties justify establishing an office.
The city held its first session Thursday to begin collecting feedback from people of color.
Tyeastia Green will become the city’s first director of racial equity, inclusion and belonging.
The St. Johnsbury event was part of a series that highlights the stories of nonwhite residents in majority-white communities throughout the state.
Gov. Phil Scott appointed Xusana Davis, who most recently served as a leader of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to be Vermont’s first executive director of racial equity.
