Nia Hinson
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
After a roughly two-hour discussion, the Columbia City Council on Monday night unanimously decided to table an item that would have removed language around diversity, equity and inclusion to its June 16 meeting.
The proposed change comes as those three words – commonly referred to as DEI – have been targeted by conservatives around the country and within the state.
The city wrote in its council memo that the proposed changes to its vision, mission, core values, priority areas and goal statements in its strategic plan are to comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump on Jan. 21 that targets the language used.
The city’s current definition of “equity” reads:
“We recognize the local government’s role in our community’s history of systemic oppression. We are committed to removing these barriers and rooting our priorities, decisions, and culture in the principles of diversity, inclusion, justice and equal access to opportunity.”
The changes being proposed by the city are:
“We will ensure all residents have fair access to services, opportunities, and resources regardless of their background, neighborhood, income, or identity.”
City Manager De’Carlon Seewood addressed council members, as well as dozens of community members who piled into City Hall Monday, saying the city doesn’t take making changes lightly.
“Once you start changing your language, do you change who you are?” Seewood said.
Seewood said the city received both state and federal letters that required the city to comply with the executive order. He said most of the city’s concerns are centered around the fact that the city could lose federal funding if it doesn’t comply.
“We’re jumping to the money, but we’re not really understanding the whole civil rights part of it, which is super important,” Traci Wilson-Kleekamp with Race Matters, Friends said. “That’s a disappointment and a failure as a city attorney I think, to not defend democracy.”
According to city spokeswoman Sydney Olsen, the city has received $48 million in federal funding since 2020. The city said it could stand to lose funding for things such as its WIC program, HIV prevention work, the transit system and the Columbia Regional Airport if it doesn’t comply.
Ward 5 councilman Don Waterman said he is conflicted about the issue.
“Part of it is I feel that some of it is our hands are somewhat tied you know because we’re talking about grants for some of the programs, we’re talking about some positions within the city that are funded by those grants,” Waterman said. “If we say no, how much of those are we putting at risk?”
Waterman said he was contacted by several residents he doesn’t typically hear from regarding the issue, which he says made him pause and think more about it.
Seewood said if the council chooses to vote no, the city can no longer sign future grants. Current grants that have been awarded to the city but are still waiting on a signed agreement could also face issues down the road.
All of those who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting were against the proposed change. Several community members suggested the city either vote against the changes, table the discussion, or sue the federal government.
There were also discussions regarding removing the definition of equity entirely.
Those who spoke included former Ward 3 councilman Roy Lovelady. Lovelady told ABC 17 News after Monday night’s meeting that he felt it was his duty to speak out about the issue as an African American and member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Lovelady said his biggest concern is around the sense of urgency from the city to make a decision. He said the city worked tirelessly to ensure that equity was implemented throughout all departments during his time on the city council.
“I was a part heavily getting equity throughout all of the departments in the strategic plan and to know that in the blink of an eye, in the snap of a finger or a mission statement or an executive order from Trump it could all be wiped away,” Lovelady said.
Mckenzie Ortiz, with Mid-Missouri Democratic Socialists of America said she would like more public communication about how the city plans to uphold equity if it makes changes.
Ortiz was an advocate for the city tabling the discussion.
“It (the current equity definition) went through the public process and it was something that the city and its residents decided that they wanted to be included in our strategic plan and to rescind it with such short notice is really a problem for us,” Ortiz said.
According to the council memo for the meeting, the council looked at modifying the language of the strategic plan, which includes:
Vision: Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.
Mission: To serve the public equitably through democratic, transparent and efficient government.
Much of the language from the 2021 strategic plan will not change, however, one change would be the individual descriptions of the subcategories to the “Core Values” section of the plan.
The “Core Values” are described as:
Service: We exist to provide the best possible service to all.
Communication: We listen and provide responses that are clear, accurate and timely.
Continuous Improvement: We value excellence through planning, learning and innovation.
Integrity: We are ethical, fair, and honest stewards of our community’s resources.
Teamwork: We build trust and achieve results by working together.
Equity: We will ensure all residents have fair access to services, opportunities, and resources regardless of their background, neighborhood, income, or identity.
Other modifications can include rescinding prior policy resolutions related to the plan.
Council Memo 5-5-25Download
Olsen said regardless of changes to the language, the city itself will not change.
“We still want to provide the services we’re providing to residents. We still want to ensure that everyone has access to those and we’ll continue to do that,” Olsen said. “And I think we want to let residents know that our mission stays the same and we still want Columbia to be the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.”
The city said any changes will not impact its diversity, equity and inclusion officer role, which is held by D’Andre Thompson.
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