Lynnwood seeks diverse voices

By Janice Podsada

Herald Writer

LYNNWOOD — This city’s ethnic and immigrant population grows daily.

Today, Asians, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders make up a quarter of the city’s population, according to the 2000 Census.

But you wouldn’t know it by the number of Asians, Hispanics and Pacific Islanders residents who sit on the city’s resident advisory boards or attend public meetings, said Robin Hall, Lynnwood’s human resources director.

In the next 12 months, city officials hope to boost ethnic and immigrant participation in civic government.

This week, Lynnwood was selected to participate in a yearlong pilot program aimed at encouraging its ethnic population to feel welcome at community meetings.

Lynnwood and Omak have been selected as the state’s two pilot cities to participate in the Washington Campaign to Promote Racial Justice project, sponsored by the Association of Washington Cities, the Anti-Defamation League and the National Conference for Community Justice, said Meagan Eliot with the AWC, a nonprofit group.

Lynnwood will contribute $5,000 to fund its project. The amount will be matched by the AWC.

It didn’t take a scientific study to determine the low participation rate of ethnic and minority community members in Lynnwood government, Hall said.

Just looking at names on the applications for the city’s advisory boards and comparing them to the faces at public meetings was enough to convince Mayor Mike McKinnon and other elected officials that the city should apply for the program, which is in its first year, Hall said.

Just publicizing city meetings hasn’t yielded satisfactory results, Eliot said.

"A lot of voices from immigrant communities are missing from the regular city processes," Eliot said. "The (city) has tried some standard ways to bring those people in, and it’s not working."

City officials across the state say they have the same problem.

The results of the pilot project will be used to help other cities reach out to their ethnic communities, Eliot said.

Next month, Lynnwood will take its first step in the project. An informal meeting between city officials and 10 key leaders from ethnic communities will let everyone get acquainted before they determine what steps come next.

The barriers that prevent people from speaking up are often factors Americans take for granted, said Vin Kuno, executive director of the Snohomish County Refugee and Immigrant Forum. In many countries, stepping into the public spotlight is risky, Kuno said.

"Many of us didn’t feel comfortable with the governments in our countries. In the countries we come from, you speak up and you might be retaliated against."

Becoming accustomed to a democratic type of government takes time, she said.

Language and the fear of being humiliated are also issues, but ones that are more easily rectified, she said.

"A lot of people would like to participate, but they’re afraid no one will understand them."

Add a translator, or even a mentor — someone who doesn’t necessarily speak the language but who is trustworthy, and "people will speak up," she said

Eliot and Hall agree a city resident doesn’t have to be a U.S. citizen to attend a public meeting. The message needs to get out, Kuno said, that non-U.S. citizens have the right to voice their concerns about city issues.

"If you live there, if you work there — you’re entitled to speak," Kuno said.

You can call Herald Writer Janice Podsada at 425-339-3029 or send e-mail to podsada@heraldnet.com.

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