June 30, 2020

Clark County Council

Clark County Government

PO Box 5000

Vancouver, WA 98666-5000

Dear Members of the Clark County Council,

Standing in solidarity with our partners, NAACP Vancouver and SW WA LULAC, YWCA Clark County would like to take this opportunity to address County Chair Eileen Quiring's statement of not believing systemic racism exists in Clark County. We implore Chair Quiring to learn about systemic racism in our country and in the county she oversees. We strongly recommend Clark County Council make a plan for how all elected officials will contribute to addressing systemic racism throughout its leadership, services, programs, and staffing. 

We support our partners, NAACP Vancouver and SW WA LULAC, as they call attention to Quiring's offensive and wholly inaccurate assertion. Our organizations, joined by Clark County Volunteer Lawyers Program, are collectively requesting that Clark County Council hold a Listening Session with representatives from each organization to hear about the systemic racism that exists in Clark County and how it affects everyone in our community.

The time is now to acknowledge the systemic racism that communities of color have faced in our county and across the nation. It is incumbent for Chair Quiring to recognize and acknowledge systemic racism is real. We request all elected officials actively work to dismantle racism in every form. Our community needs leaders with integrity who are able to work together to bring equity to our community and fight against racism. 

We look forward to engaging in difficult but necessary conversations so we can all learn, grow, and move forward together. We await your reply to our invitation for a listening session.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Yarie

Director of Services and Mission Impact

YWCA Clark County