Creates racial equity impact assessments that will be required for new legislation and
research tools to help Council ensure someone’s race no longer predicts their success
For Release: Monday, January 18th, 2021
Contact: Jonathan McNair, 202-288-0714, Jmcnair@dccouncil.us
Washington, DC – Today, the Council of the District of Columbia celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day by
officially launching the Council Office of Racial Equity (CORE). This new office comes from
Councilmember McDuffie’s Racial Equity Achieves Results (REACH) Act, which seeks to dismantle the
institutional barriers that prevent many Black residents from succeeding in Washington, DC. CORE will
advance racial equity across the District, provide equity impact scores for future Council legislation, create
equity tools to eliminate racial disparities in government as well as the budget, and ensure all Council staff
undergoes equity training. The REACH Act also creates a commission on racial equity to recommend
additional measures District government should take.
“For every District resident to have meaningful opportunities to prosper, we must intentionally design
policies that account for the history of government-sanctioned discrimination against Black people,” said
Councilmember McDuffie. “Dr. King once said, ‘true compassion is more than flipping a coin to a
beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice, which produces beggars needs
restructuring.’ CORE will hold DC government accountable as we break down the barriers of systemic
racism and build a more inclusive city. Now we must ensure the REACH Act is fully implemented and
continue fighting for Dr. King’s dream.”
Systematic racism drives inequities in every issue from COVID relief, health care and housing to economic
opportunities, education, and criminal justice. These issues require comprehensive solutions, like the
REACH Act, and cannot be fully addressed with standalone measures. Councilmember McDuffie will
continue working to make the nation’s capital a national model for using government to address longstanding
racial inequities.
