Coalition for Smarter Growth’s Statement of Support for Racial Equity and Justice

June 1, 2020

The Coalition for Smarter Growth shares in the deep sadness and anger over racial inequality and injustice. We remain fully committed to furthering racial equity and justice through our work on housing, land use, and transportation. We also stand in solidarity with those leading the much needed work being done to eliminate all cases of police violence and abuse of power.

Our mission is to create walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities to confront the environmental, economic, and equity challenges we face. Our communities cannot be inclusive until our streets, public spaces, and neighborhoods are safe and welcoming for everyone. This requires actively dismantling racism embedded in our public and private institutions.

We seek to be allies in the greater fight for a more just and equitable world, and we hope to help address the legacy of generations of racial discrimination and segregation. Among our efforts are to advocate for affordable housing options that prevent displacement and create more integrated neighborhoods and to advocate for better, more equitable bus service. We will also soon host a series of “Courageous Conversations” on the history of racial segregation in Montgomery County, facilitated by our partners at Challenging Racism.

We are seeking to do better at coming together with and incorporating the voices of people of color, and welcome your feedback and guidance as we all work to move forward together.