After four years of community led visioning, strategy, planning, and advocacy, our council members chose to invest in our communities. This fall, King County councilmembers motioned to release the $1 million already promised to the King County Equitable Development Initiative, and officially launch the Initiative.
Councilmembers spoke to the need to ensure the continuation of the program, and to find a permanent funding source to expand the Initiative. As Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda says, investment in Equitable Development Initiatives has “a multiplier effect of creating not only housing stability, but economic stability. Preventing economic and housing displacement for our community is good for the return of the county. It’s good for the health of our county population. And it’s good for the future stability of our region as a whole.”
What’s next? The passage at the King County Council is an important step in the right direction. The King County EDI Coalition will continue to advocate and ensure that the promises in the motion are fulfilled. Councilmembers need to secure long-term funding for the initiative, and we will be working to ensure they secure the necessary funding to expand EDI so our communities can bloom. $1 million for the Equitable Development Initiative plants the seeds, $100 million lets us bloom!
In this booklet, we highlight three stories from across King County:
Across King County, BIPOC communities are seeding equitable development projects in urban communities and rural communities. They are seeding housing, cultural, community centers, agricultural and conservation projects.
We share the stories of the Congolese Integration Network, the PNW BIPOC Farmland Trust, and Na’ah Ilahee Fund—to show the great need to support equitable development and root BIPOC communities in place across the county. Read the stories here.
A web version is also available to view! The stories we’ve included showcase the vision, determination, and challenges these projects face and how the King County EDI provides a foundation for these projects to grow. With a well funded King County Equitable Development Initiative, these projects can truly bloom!