County Council Town Hall to examine Equity and Social Justice Initiative

Effort to reduce social, health, economic inequities throughout King County

The King County Council will examine the Equity and Social Justice Initiative (ESJI) at a Town Hall Meeting in Kent on Monday, March 24. This initiative is a major new county initiative aimed at ending long-standing inequities and injustices, and promoting fairness and opportunity for all residents.

The Town Hall will be held at the Kent Senior Activity Center, 600 E Smith Street, Kent. The public is invited to meet face-to-face with King County Councilmembers at an informal reception starting at 6:00 p.m. The Town Hall will begin at 6:30 p.m.

“Your income, race, or zip code should not be a predictor for how long you will live,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine, chair of the Council’s Committee of the Whole. “Every resident of King County should have the opportunity to live a healthy and productive life.”

Studies show that there is a close relationship between a person’s home address, race, income and their access to education, health care, and economic opportunities. These factors have long lasting impacts on health, wellness, and even life expectancy.

Even in a relatively wealthy region, serious local inequities impact King County. For instance:

• A child in south King County is more than twice as likely to drop out of high school as one in east King County.
• A southeast Seattle resident is four times more likely to die from diabetes than a
resident of Mercer Island.
• A worker making between $15,000 and $25,000 a year is 10 times less likely to have health insurance than one making $50,000 or more per year.
• A youth of color is six times more likely than a white youth to spend time in a state or county correctional facility.
• A Native American baby is four times more likely to die before his or her first birthday than a white baby.

“South King County and South Seattle are bearing the brunt of these inequities,” said Council Chair Julia Patterson, whose district is hosting the Town Hall. “Tyee High School, where I graduated, has more youth who have never visited a primary care physician than any other high school in the county. This is just one example of a regional imbalance that must end. This initiative is a first step and I want the people of District 5 to be active in its formation.”

The Town Hall will include a screening of a clip from “Unnatural Causes” – a ground-breaking new PBS documentary that exposes America’s socio-economic and racial inequities in health.

After the film clip, the Council will host a panel discussion that will include Ngozi Oleru, Director of Environmental Services for Public Health-Seattle & King County. She will be joined by Dr. James Krieger, Chief of the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Program for Public Health.

The public will have an opportunity to question panel members and presenters. At the end of the program, the Council will take open public testimony on any issue.

Town Hall Meetings are part of Councilmembers’ initiative to “get out of the courthouse” and into the communities they serve. In 2007, more than 1,600 people met with Councilmembers at Town Halls held in West Seattle, Renton, Redmond, on the Seattle Waterfront, Shoreline, Maple Valley, Sammamish and Seattle’s Central Area.

Each Town Hall is a special meeting of the Council’s Committee of the Whole, the only standing committee on which all nine members serve. It considers legislation and policy issues of interest to the entire Council.