The post from 2018 was prompted by the anniversary of this piece about Columbia's "values" that ran in the Baltimore Sun in 2017. The Facebook post, however, went a slightly different direction:
And though it certainly has and continues to advocate for Columbia's interests, (CA’s) silence on matters of segregation--school based and otherwise--is noticeable. Segregation is, after all, part of what spurred Columbia's founding.CA’s silence over the last year, as our community and nation have wrestled with matters that are very much rooted in the values of Columbia’s founding, is hard to miss. I have seen it raised in several conversations, some very recently. As I said three years ago, there are lots of reasons for this silence, and on one of the more contentious local issues related to segregation—schools—there are no clear-cut right answers.
There are lots of things to unpack here--representation, mission, inclusion, funding, etc. And I don't mean for this to come off as negative toward CA--it does many tremendous things for Columbia that help improve our quality of life and further the original values.
But there are some radical changes taking place here and across the world, and maybe the time is right for radical re-assessment of what and how CA can best serve Columbia--now and 50 years from now.
That said, CA's persistent struggle to articulate its position on issues related to Columbia’s core value set is only becoming more apparent and glaring. One look at the "Goals" section of its proposed budget puts things starkly. These goals align with priorities approved by CA's board as part of its Strategic Plan and address five specific areas:
1. Identity
2. Resource Stewardship
3. Environmental Sustainability
4. Leadership Development
5. Advocacy
Each priority area has a clearly defined goal and a set of action items to achieve those goals. Most have between three and six specific tasks with clear outcomes and timelines. Except Leadership Development.
As you can see in the screenshot below, the goal included in the strategic priority area of Leadership Development is: "Increase participation among a demographically diverse community to serve in leadership roles on CA advisory committees, community groups, and the CA board."
That sounds pretty good, if vague, but the action item for this priority is where things really fall apart: "a. Outreach to cultural and diverse community."
If it ended there, we could chalk this up to an organization that is clumsily trying to catch up, but the next (and last) strategic priority does little to support such a charitable read:
One wonders what would happen if CA approached its "outreach to cultural and diverse community” as energetically as it did its other advocacy areas, and if so, how would a more diverse leadership structure change the priorities of its advocacy efforts?
Kind of a chicken and an egg.
More about the budget—and even about this particular topic—soon.
Strategic Priority: AdvocacyIt offers three tasks, the first two are mostly benign, but then there’s this:
Goal: "Advocate on issues that are key to Columbia's values and are key to our future as a unique, diverse, master planned community."
Monitor issues in the following area for advocacy:
- New Town Zoning
- Environment
- Land Use
- Alternative Housing
- Smart Development
That's it, a list issues that are largely centered around the local policy matters that typically excite people who are predisposed to not wanting additional development in their "back yards". (Yes, I went out of my way to avoid using the acronym that is now its own word.)
There is nothing about social justice, racial equity, economic opportunity, education, transportation, or the myriad other issues that demand our attention if we are to realize the Columbia vision of a racially and economically diverse community living in a "complete" city where opportunities for self-advancement abound.One wonders what would happen if CA approached its "outreach to cultural and diverse community” as energetically as it did its other advocacy areas, and if so, how would a more diverse leadership structure change the priorities of its advocacy efforts?
Kind of a chicken and an egg.
More about the budget—and even about this particular topic—soon.
Screen shot of the budget page referenced above:
