MISSOULA — A few years ago, Missoula City and County officials started taking steps to elevate the voices of marginalized groups in local government.
They did so by creating a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) advisory board. The goal of this board is to create space for all community members and to drive positive change.
“When you expose yourself to all the different individuals that are in Missoula, you’ll find that Missoula is more diverse than you think… not just complexions of one’s skin or colors of one’s eyes but living experience," JEDI Task Force member Dexter Royes detailed.
Wilena Old Person doesn’t walk downtown Missoula at night fearing she could be another number in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) crisis. “I know what it feels like to be mistreated and not heard.”
Travis Hoffman, Program Coordinator at Summit Independent Living, advocates for people with disabilities like him so that they have access to their city.
“Make sure that the disability voice is included," Hoffman said. "Make sure [government is] not putting something into policy that’s going to become a barrier down the road.”
Royes works with members of the Black community and others to help show the resources they have available.
“I find that in Missoula, there are a lot of resources, there are a lot of programs, but the individuals I talk to are not aware of those programs," he told MTN News.
Missoula is instating the advisory board which will be made up of people who have traditionally been marginalized and left out of local government — such as people of color, those who live in rural areas, and individuals with disabilities.
“Sometimes we get so set in the systems that we have that we don’t see the malfunction," Equity Project Coordinator Rozlyn Haley stated. “It’s so important to have those diverse voices and those voices that aren’t heard."
"The JEDI Advisory Board is designed to advise multiple departments to help look at policies, procedures, and other programming that would have a more equitable lens so that things are accessible to everyone," Haley continued.
A seat has opened up at the decision-making table and people in minority groups can speak up on issues that affect them.
Hoffman detailed, “I think it’s good to get people from all different walks of life, all different cultural backgrounds, racial backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses and talk.”
Board members will advise elected government officials such as the Missoula City Council on places they would like to see more equity in Missoula.
“Representation matters," Old Person expressed. "I really think inclusion is important and I think that’s what this board does is it creates that access to those people in those elected positions.”
“If you do apply, you get your voice heard, not just for yourself, but to represent a group of individuals that think like you or have experienced something like you or have been impacted by decisions that someone else made." Royes shared, "This is your opportunity.”
Applications for the JEDI Advisory Board close on Friday, December 1, 2023, at 3 p.m. For the link to apply, click here.
