Wilmington City Council has added its collective voice to an ongoing effort to confront what some believe is a pattern of race-based workplace discrimination in state government.
The resolution that passed Thursday night comes after the Committee on Racism in State Government – made up of individuals representing IMAC (the Interdenominational Ministers Action Council), the NAACP State Conference and the Delaware Faith in Action Council – has repeatedly called out the state government for workplace racism.
Wilmington City Councilman NnamdiChukwuocha presented the resolution supporting the group’s efforts.
“There was earlier in the year some meetings held with clergy, the NAACP, the governor and these allegations of discrimination…just individuals didn’t feel that they were given the opportunities for advancement within the state government," Chukwuocha said.
After the group conducted interviews with employees of color from multiple state agencies who claimed they’d been affected by racist workplace measures, Markell ordered a state investigation in 2015.
But the coalition isn’t satisfied with the Markell administration’s actions on the issue, and Wilmington City Council President Theo Gregory says the efforts are stalled.
“And it kind of stalled, it stalled," Gregory said. "So I thought we as government should intervene and help our voice to try to push it along, and certainly to keep it alive going into the next administration, the next session for the legislative down there.”
Gregory adds the resolution was simply meant to bolster support for the coalition’s efforts to end discriminatory workplace practices not only in the State government, but in any private or public workplace.
