Hundreds have already registered to participate in Mayor Gray's "One City Summit' this Saturday, February 11th from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm at Convention Center (if you haven't registered already, you can sign up for free by going here or by calling 202-709-5132 -- free democracy and free lunch, to boot!) According to the Mayor's office, the purpose of the Summit is to provide an opportunity for DC residents to voice their concerns so that the Mayor can use this community input to inform District policies and action such as setting budget priorities for the coming year.
MLOV believes strongly in encouraging greater participation for all DC residents in key decision-making. We welcome opportunities to engage in public hearings and forums, and our work centers on building leadership within Limited English Proficient communities to make public programs work better for all, without language being a barrier. Our District's LEP communities -- our neighbors, friends, co-workers, fellow parents, children, and elderly -- deserve to be heard throughout the decision-making process of our City Council, not merely through casting a vote when elections roll around.
As staff of MLOV and as staff of the DC Language Access Coalition member organizations, I know many of us participate in civic processes when we can. Testifying at City Hall, attending forums such as this one, and regularly meeting with elected officials, staff of District agencies such as DC Public Schools, Department of Health, Department of Human Services and many of the other public entities covered by the DC Language Access Act of 2004.
Though interpretation will be provided at the Summit in at least 6 languages (Spanish, French, Amharic, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese), many Limited English Proficient community members—those who are themselves in danger of losing their housing benefits, not aware of dangerous side effects for medication they are taking, or trying to graduate high school in a new country while also learning English--—would be unable to attend this forum on Saturday. Since they are not in school, young people work on weekends to help support their families, low-wage earners such as restaurant workers and nail salon workers don't have the luxury of 'paid vacation time' even on weekends, and families are unable to participate because no child care is provided and they have no one to watch their kids, others do not have transportation funds to get them there.
While advocates will be there, the lack of participation by many individuals who are directly impacted by language barriers on a daily basis concerns us. Therefore, we urge Mayor Gray to use this One City Summit as the first in a series of community input sessions, and to plan the next session at a service center, English language or citizenship classes, day program, senior center or school so that low-income DC residents who are learning English can more easily access this opportunity to participate directly in key decision-making about the city they reside in, work in, and pay taxes to support.
In the meantime, whether you can attend on Saturday or not, MLOV asks that you take a minute to speak to the needs of our community members by weighing in with your priorities on Mayor Gray’s One City Summit website. We urge you to cast your vote in support of the programs that will make One City possible for all District residents by clicking here and clicking the Vote button.
MLOV believes strongly in encouraging greater participation for all DC residents in key decision-making. We welcome opportunities to engage in public hearings and forums, and our work centers on building leadership within Limited English Proficient communities to make public programs work better for all, without language being a barrier. Our District's LEP communities -- our neighbors, friends, co-workers, fellow parents, children, and elderly -- deserve to be heard throughout the decision-making process of our City Council, not merely through casting a vote when elections roll around.
As staff of MLOV and as staff of the DC Language Access Coalition member organizations, I know many of us participate in civic processes when we can. Testifying at City Hall, attending forums such as this one, and regularly meeting with elected officials, staff of District agencies such as DC Public Schools, Department of Health, Department of Human Services and many of the other public entities covered by the DC Language Access Act of 2004.
Though interpretation will be provided at the Summit in at least 6 languages (Spanish, French, Amharic, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese), many Limited English Proficient community members—those who are themselves in danger of losing their housing benefits, not aware of dangerous side effects for medication they are taking, or trying to graduate high school in a new country while also learning English--—would be unable to attend this forum on Saturday. Since they are not in school, young people work on weekends to help support their families, low-wage earners such as restaurant workers and nail salon workers don't have the luxury of 'paid vacation time' even on weekends, and families are unable to participate because no child care is provided and they have no one to watch their kids, others do not have transportation funds to get them there.
While advocates will be there, the lack of participation by many individuals who are directly impacted by language barriers on a daily basis concerns us. Therefore, we urge Mayor Gray to use this One City Summit as the first in a series of community input sessions, and to plan the next session at a service center, English language or citizenship classes, day program, senior center or school so that low-income DC residents who are learning English can more easily access this opportunity to participate directly in key decision-making about the city they reside in, work in, and pay taxes to support.
In the meantime, whether you can attend on Saturday or not, MLOV asks that you take a minute to speak to the needs of our community members by weighing in with your priorities on Mayor Gray’s One City Summit website. We urge you to cast your vote in support of the programs that will make One City possible for all District residents by clicking here and clicking the Vote button.