HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-03-2020, Brown-DE&I ApplicationDiversity, Equity, & Inclusion Task Force
Application for Membership
Thank you for your interest in serving on the City of San Luis Obispo's DE&I Task Force. Please review the following
information and complete the included questions.
Please contact 805-781-7100 or DEI@SLOCity.org for further information.
The City of San Luis Obispo is seeking County residents to serve on its newly-created Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Task Force. The task force will be comprised of 9-13 members with diverse representation and varied perspectives.
Any SLO County re side nt ov e r 18 ye ars old with a strong conne ction to the City of San Luis Obispo, and with
formal or informal e xpe rie nce - liv e d, pe rsonal, e ducational, community, v olunte e r and/or profe ssional - is
e ncourage d to apply.
The Task Force is charged with improving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), belonging, and racial justice in San
Luis Obispo. It will work with City Leadership to:
1. Collect information and insight about what marginalized racial, ethnic, and cultural groups are experiencing in
San Luis Obispo, and how to best advance DE&I.
2. Participate in a grant-making process to distribute up to $120,000 in City funding for local DE&I activities,
projects, or programs.
3. Provide recommendations to strengthen the City’s Human Relations Commission and for creating a potential
DE&I Major City Goal.
The Task Force se rv ice te rm is Se pte mbe r 2020 through January 2021. It is expected that the Task Force will
meet on Thursdays for 2 hours. Meetings will be weekly from September 3 through November 5, 2020, then every other
week from December 3, 2020 – January 7, 2021.
For detailed information and timeline, please review the following prior to applying:
Overview: https://www.slocity.org/home/showdocument?id=27065
Resolution: https://www.slocity.org/home/showdocument?id=27061
Applications are due to the City by 5pm on M onday August 3, 2020.
Please complete the following. Use the "submit" button at the end, or email to: DEI@SLOCity.org
If a paper version is needed, please contact: 805-781-7100 or DEI@SLOCity.org
1. Name :*
2. Addre ss *
3. Phone Numbe r
4. Email *
Marrie Brown
City
San Luis Obispo
State / Province / Region
CA
Postal / Zip Code
93401
Country
San Luis Obispo
Street Address
Address Line 2
5. Are you a re side nt of San Luis Obispo County and hav e a strong conne ction to the City of San Luis
Obispo (such as a re side nt, work in the City, a stude nt, e tc.)?*
If Ye s, what is your
conne ction to the
City of SLO?
6. It is anticipate d that the DE&I Task Force will me e t we e kly for two hours from Se pte mbe r 3 through
Nov e mbe r 5, 2020. Are you able to commit to this sche dule , and comple te any assignme nts be twe e n
me e tings?*
Comme nts
7. What time (s) are you av ailable on Thursdays (ple ase se le ct all that apply):*
Comme nts
8. Are you curre ntly or hav e you pre v iously se rv e d on a board, commission, committe e , or othe r public
body? Which one , and whe n? What contributions did you make ?*
9. Why do you want to be on this task force ? What inte re st, e xpe rie nce , e ducation, training, or skills do
you bring? Ple ase conside r any liv e d, pe rsonal, profe ssional, or v olunte e r e xpe rie nce and activ itie s.*
Yes No
Own a Home and run a business in the city
of SLO
Yes No
Morning Afternoon Evening
I set my own work schedule.
I'm currently and have been on the U40 Steering committee for the last 3 years. Most recent contribution
for the U40 group was setting up and organizing a Netflix party event to do a showing of "13th" for the
community. In the past I have been instrumental in planning and setting up the Proposition Party which
helped to inform the community regarding the proposition issues on the ballot and what a yes or no vote
actually meant. Additionally, I support the group's efforts to reduce waste by bringing wine glasses to
events and other sustainable activities.
My husband is currently the master of the Masonic Lodge in SLO and with that comes event planning and
community organization. I have historically liked to do the back end planning part of projects, so I happily
let my husband be the face of events or organizations while I do the logistics planning and set up.
I'm working to expand my impact through my own voice versus just supporting others.
10. Giv e n the purpose of this task force - prov ide re comme ndations for which community DE&I proje cts
or programs to fund and for ways to improv e DE&I in the City - what outcome s do you hope for, and how
would you achie v e the m?*
11. Do you hav e any sugge stions for this task force or the City's DE&I e fforts?
I want to be on the task force because the education and perspective that I have developed through
traveling the world and educating myself can't be bought. Travel is one of the best educations you can
have. Through those experiences, I have interest in adoption because it takes a village to raise a child
and if it takes a task force to change a community so that every child of every color can be supported, I
want to be on it. Currently if you show interest in adopting a black child in San Luis Obispo it is highly
discouraged by the agency because they don't believe a black child will do well in the community we have
built here in San Luis Obispo. This is just one example of how we as a community have missed the mark
when it comes to inclusivity and acceptance.
I was raised in a family that did Peace Corps and foreign aid. I lived in Nepal for two years when I was a kid
and I have travelled extensively. I know what it is like to be one of a hand full of white people for hundreds
of miles and I have seen what sub-par living conditions look like in this country and others.
I started my own bookkeeping business 3 years ago and bring an in depth understanding of what it takes
to work within a budget and make sacrifices and think strategically when it comes to achieving big goals.
I also own, manage, and maintain two rentals in SLO. I make the ethical choice to keep rents below market
rate so we can make room for people who want to live and work in SLO.
I have a degree in Earth Science with a minor in Anthropology and Geography from Cal Poly SLO. I went
back to school 3 years ago and got my accounting clerk certificate from Cuesta.
I have set up and hosted neighborhood events for my neighborhood. I set up a memorial get together for
the 1 year anniversary of the passing of a community member just to get people together again.
I want to bring a younger, well-travelled, community oriented, home owner's perspective to the table. I am
willing to make decisions that might not benefit me but will uplift the community as a whole.
I think education and immersion is where it all starts. It is difficult to support someone who you have never
met or take the time to understand their needs.
A friend of mine shared this video with me (https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/video/adding-dimension-
urban-planning-71884223) that talked about how when you don't engage a community you often make
changes that you would want, not what actually helps the community you are working in. When this
happens, the so-called improvements actually signal to the people that live there that they might soon be
priced out of their homes because the actions that are being taken are from a perspective that doesn't
respect or represent their needs or values.
I list some of the organizations that I'm familiar with below in our community but I don't know what their
needs are so I struggle to answer this question, besides to state that I want to be a well informed and
educated ally for the under represented communities and organizations that will create a vibrant,
accessible San Luis Obispo.
A small note about funding. My husband works in the grants department at Cal Poly SLO and I have
already talked to him about picking his brain for support when looking at funding opportunities for the
DE&I task force if I am selected.
Comme nts
12. Be side s your inte re st in be ing on the DE&I task force , would you be inte re ste d in supporting the City's
DE&I work in othe r ways, such as se rv ing on a sub-committe e or prov ide aware ne ss and e ducation to the
Task Force ?*
13. Anything e lse to share about your inte re st in se rv ing on this task force ?
14. Whe re did you
find out about this
Task Force
ope ning?*
The biggest thing I have learned form the last few months is I don't know enough to be effective yet. That
is where I hope the task force will start, with inquiry into all the organizations already doing amazing work
locally like R.A.C.E. Matters, Rise SLO, Diversity Coalition San Luis Obispo County, and TMHA. Asking
what do you need, where do you see the holes in your support or effectiveness: is it finical, is it
educational is it something we have never thought of?
Once this ground work has been accomplished then an inspirational and targeted plan can be developed
for long term success.
Ideas:
-Maybe setting up educational movie nights at The Palm or at Sunset drive-in.
-Setting up a Juneteenth Celebration with a yearly public arts display.
-When downtowns across the county start to recover from COVID, finding ways to support more diversity
in the types of stores and owners. Maybe as Main St. reopens, there are collaborations with building
owners for reduced rent rates for the first 6 months for minority owned businesses giving them a leg up on
getting established.
Yes No Perhaps
The task force bring our opinions to the table is important, but what is more important is to take our
privilege of having the time, energy and space to be on this task force and leveraging that privilege to
support the underprivileged and underrepresented facets of our community.
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