Throughout the summer of 2020, we all witnessed a worldwide response to the tragic killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dozens of protests, marches, and rallies in Kirkland, and countless more around the world, called, and continue to call, for an end to structural racism and for the cities to demonstrate that Black lives matter. 

Transportation isn’t just about moving people through the city. Our transportation infrastructure, planning, and policies are intertwined with public health, racial and economic justice, climate change, and the civil society we all wish to have. These connections have never been fully recognized, acknowledged, or accounted for but the need to do so becomes clearer by the day.

Kirkland Greenways is committed to demonstrating our part in ensuring our advocacy strives to reflect, embrace, and amplify these efforts as part of our vision to:

Identify, advocate for, and activate safe healthy streets for people of all ages and abilities using all transportation modes. 

As we engage our community we will include these strategies:

       Ensure our organization amplifies the voices and ideas of those are not heard.

       Facilitating conversations about the role of transportation policy in generating and perpetuating structural racism.

       Solicit solutions from those communities most affected by structural racism by including Black, Indigenous people, and people of color with a focus on including intersectional voice.

       Methods may include, virtual meetings, small group discussion, surveys, mailers, social media campaigns, and/or other methods identified by Black, Indigenous, and people of color community members and leaders.

As advocates for equitable transportation choices in and around Kirkland, we cannot turn a blind eye. Our job is to make streets and public spaces safe for everyone and we’re committed to joining forces with local leaders and community members to do just that.