Title
Resolution establishing the City of Pittsburgh All-In Cities Leadership Forum.
(Post Agenda and Public Hearing held 12/5/19)
Body
Whereas, the City’s Gender Equity Commission’s report, titled, “Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender and Race”, found that Pittsburgh’s African-American residents could move to almost any other U.S. city of comparable size and enjoy a better quality of life; and,
Whereas, this is due to how deeply systemic racism is embedded in the culture, the fabric and the infrastructure and residential patterns of the City of Pittsburgh; and,
Whereas, in Pittsburgh, a century of intentional decisions has locked most of Pittsburgh’s African-American residents in neighborhoods of concentrated poverty lacking any real opportunity, where the overwhelming majority of Pittsburgh’s African-American residents live; and,
Whereas, these neighborhoods, explicitly the result of racial discrimination, create conditions for their African-American residents that lead to disproportionate and intergenerational poverty and their suffering from chronic diseases, lowered lifespans and premature death; and,
Whereas, African-American women suffer higher rates of maternal mortality, poverty, lower rates of college readiness and lower rates of employment; and,
Whereas, African-American men face higher rates of occupational segregation, homicide, cancer and cardiovascular diseases; and,
Whereas, African Americans have made significant contributions to the arts legacy of Pittsburgh, yet their contributions often go unacknowledged, while the systemic and structural racism in Pittsburgh has led many African American artists to leave the city in search of more equitable environments where they can flourish and be recognized; and,
Whereas, these inequitable conditions, concentrated so heavily and so squarely upon a single group of the City’s residents and in specific neighborhoods, has created both an economic and a public health crisis; and,
Whereas, nothing short of the collective mobilization of all of the City’s resources and strategies holds any hope of resolving these crises; and,
Whereas, the time for half-measures must come to an end; and,
Whereas, the City is committed to implement the recommendations of the Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coalition’s (PBEOC) Pittsburgh Peace and Justice Initiative (P&JI). The P&JI recommendations covers six (6) key civic areas Public Safety, Affordable Housing, Family Outcomes, Business and Organizational Development, Education and Employment identified by the PBEOC as critical to the future of the African Americans in the region.; and
Whereas, in 2016, Neighborhood Allies, Urban Innovation 21 and PolicyLink spearheaded the formation of All-In Pittsburgh, a coalition of equitable development stakeholders dedicated to advancing racial equity in Pittsburgh; and,
Whereas, in September, 2016, PolicyLink released “Equitable Development: The Path to an All-In Pittsburgh,” a set of equitable development recommendations developed in conjunction with the All-In Pittsburgh coalition; and,
Whereas, while some progress has been made toward implementation of the All-In Pittsburgh policy recommendations, the pace of progress has not been commensurate with the urgency of the economic and public health crisis faced by the City.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby establish the City of Pittsburgh All-In Cities Leadership Policy Forum.
SECTION 2. City Council, in partnership with the Mayor, the Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials Coalition (PBEOC) and Neighborhood Allies, All-In Pittsburgh shall convene quarterly Leadership Policy Forum meetings, which shall be public, to oversee the City’s implementation of the All-In Policy Recommendations comprised of African American leaders from sectors including, but not limited to, government, non-profit, educational, corporate and public health to address issues affecting the quality of life of African Americans in the City of Pittsburgh. Meetings of the full All-In Cities Policy Forum shall be public.
SECTION 3. City Council in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, the Pittsburgh Black Elected Officials, Neighborhood Allies and All-In Pittsburgh will host an annual All-In Cities Policy Conference.
SECTION 4. The All-In Cities Leadership Forums and Annual Conference will focus on implementing the recommendations from the PBEOC’s Peace and Justice Initiative and PolicyLink’s “Equitable Development: The Path to an All-In Pittsburgh.”
SECTION 5. The All-in Cities forums and Annual Conference will review and forward advance recommendations from PolicyLink’s “All-In Cities Policy Tool Kit” and recommendations from other stakeholders and interested parties.
SECTION 6. The All-in Cities Forums and Annual Conference shall partner with PolicyLink when necessary to remain consistent with the City’s commitment to being an All-In City.
SECTION 7. City Council finds the establishment of the All-In Cities Leadership Forum and its associated programs and activities to be necessary and valid public purposes for which City moneys monies shall be expended.