AGENCY TESTIMONY
Establishment and progress of MOERJ
0:14:59
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168 sec
Sherman details the establishment and progress of the Mayor's Office of Equity and Racial Justice (MOERJ) and the Commission on Racial Equity (CORE), highlighting the steps taken to operationalize these new entities.
- Describes the planning work to secure resources, outline staffing structures, and establish necessary systems
- Mentions the creation of an advisory board to provide guidance on implementing the ballot measures
- Highlights ongoing equity work, including investments in LGBTQ+ services and merchant organizing grants
Sideya Sherman
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The charter calls for the city to create an office of racial equity and an independent commission on racial equity.
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In October 2023, MOERJ, which is the city's office on racial equity, was announced alongside the commission on racial equity.
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Leading up to the launch of these 2 new entities, our office spearheaded months of planning work across the administration to identify and secure physical resources, outline preliminary staffing structures, began to establish personnel and other rate of systems necessary to hire staff and ensure a solid and sustainable operational footing, all while continuing equity work underway prior to passing the ballot measures.
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Amid a challenging fiscal environment, M OERJ Encore were among the new needs met in the city's FY 24 budget, with the administration affirming its commitment to building the dedicated infrastructure needed for long term racial equity work within city government.
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As we continue to thoughtfully grow our team and develop processes and systems for our Nathan Agency.
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We are keeping MOERJ's long term goals in sight to ensure the city has a strong infrastructure, equity infrastructure for generations to come.
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While continuing to operationally stand up our new office and implement existing work, we also convened an advisory board.
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Of diverse leaders across the city and nation to provide high level guidance on implementing the ballot measures and transforming government towards racial equity injustice.
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Drawing on their significant experience, implementing and scaling strategies across government systems.
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The advisory board has been instrumental in helping our team build a strategic framework for advancing structural reform through the racial equity planning process and other areas of work overseen by our office.
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We extend our deepest gratitude to the advisory board members for their service and unwavering commitment to building an equitable New York City.
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As we advance work that is long term in nature, Moerj has also remained focused on collaborating with partners to invest in and implement strategies to address the needs of New Yorkers in real time.
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This is including but not limited to over 6, 000, 000 invested in in in new and expanded services for LGBTQ plus New Yorkers that builds on and expands the work of the NYC Unity project within MOERJ, partnering with SBS to launch merchant organizing grants to support diverse communities, many hard hit by the pandemic.
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Including building vibrant neighborhood business communities and commercial corridors.
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Working with our internal task force on inclusion and equity, and community groups to identify existing and new strategies that can be targeted to help address long term disparities in the Bronx.
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And collaborating with the city and public partners on the city wide expansion of the Save For College Program, New York City's Universal College Savings Program.