Lauren Slagter | MLive

PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI – Three people hoping to be Washtenaw County’s first racial equity officer presented their visions for improving equity to the public on Monday, Feb. 25.

The racial equity officer position was created through Washtenaw County’s racial equity ordinance, which county commissioners unanimously approved in September 2018 after months of gathering public input.

Washtenaw County has hard work ahead after unanimously passing equity policy

An eight-person hiring committee selected Yodit Mesfin Johnson, Farris Muhammad and Alize Asberry Payne as finalists for the new position after a round of private interviews.

More than 60 people gathered Monday at the Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center for the finalists’ public presentations, where attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback to the hiring committee.

The committee – which includes County Commissioners Felicia Brabec, Ricky Jefferson and Jason Morgan as well as other community leaders – will give County Administrator Gregory Dill its recommendation on the best person for the job within the next day or so.

County Commissioners will then vote on the proposed hire.

The equity officer's annual salary will be between $69,568 and $122,689, according to the job listing.

Each finalist shared their three-month, six-month, five-year and 10-year visions for improving equity in Washtenaw County. Here’s what they had to say.

Don't Edit

Lauren Slagter | MLive

Yodit Mesfin Johnson

Her work as the racial equity officer would be motivated by her son and wanting to ensure all Washtenaw County children have the same opportunities, regardless of their zip code, Mesfin Johnson said.

She would draw on her experience as vice president and chief operating officer of Nonprofit Enterprise Work, an Ann Arbor-based organization that provides support for nonprofits. She co-chairs United Way of Washtenaw County’s equity committee and is vice chairwoman of United Way’s board of directors, started the pro-literacy Black Men Read program and developed a local Leaders of Color Fellowship that is launching soon.

In the first few months on the job as racial equity officer, Mesfin Johnson said she would have conversations with various sectors of the community and work to gain a better understanding of how Washtenaw County’s policies and procedures either support or undermine equity.

“Equity cannot be about fixing Ypsi in this county,” she said. “It has to be about the cities that comprise this county coming together for those young people. We will be judged as adults by what happens for them.”

By 2024, Mesfin Johnson would like to see the majority of 3 year olds in preschool; high school seniors with post-graduation plans; more diversity in local business owners, who hire local residents; implementation of restorative practices in juvenile justice; an increase in affordable housing outside of Ypsilanti; and more teachers of color in local schools.

“We are not going to charity our way to equity. Folks need jobs, they need businesses and they need equitable economic development,” she said.

To explain her vision for equity by 2030, Mesfin Johnson shared a hypothetical high school valedictorian speech written from the perspective of her son. The speech said the Class of 2030 would be the first time graduation rates in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor are the same and college enrollment rates for students of all races are equal.

"My son has to be our son," Mesfin Johnson said. "The children in Ypsilanti have to be our children. The children in Saline – where 1,700 folks said they wouldn't read a book about a transgender kid – they got to know we're going to stand in the gap for them. The kids on the northeast side of Ann Arbor, white and wealthy, who are killing themselves in the pressure of dominant culture and white supremacy, they've got to know that we're there for them."

Don't Edit

Lauren Slagter | MLive

Farris Muhammad

Becoming Washtenaw County’s racial equity officer would give him the chance to do the work he’s passionate about in a place he considers home. Muhammad said.

Muhammad is a Detroit native who earned an MBA from EMU. He was hired as chief diversity and inclusion officer for the city of Peoria, Illinois, in August 2018 and previously served as executive director of the Multicultural Family Center in Dubuque, Iowa. He has a doctorate in education administration and policy from the University of Georgia.

“I think this work is very important,” he said. “I’m passionate about it, and I think I’m even more passionate about it being here at home.”

As racial equity officer, Muhammad said he would start by identifying instances of racial segregation, economic disparities, health disparities, educational disparities and inequities in employment and housing in Washtenaw County.

He noted the importance of transparency in governmental operations to build credibility, and he emphasized his ability to network with different stakeholders.

Within five years, Muhammad would like conversations about race to be normalized within Washtenaw County government and the broader community.

“People can talk about every other kind of equity, but when you get to that racial component, it’s a different ball game,” he said. “So how do you not only talk about equity, but talk about racial equity? … It becomes another layer of discomfort.”

Racial equity needs to be considered in budget decisions and built into organizations’ infrastructure, he said, and it is important to collect data on the outcomes of various initiatives to evaluate whether they are effective.

In 10 years, Muhammad wants Washtenaw County to be considered a national model for racial equity.

“I think this step right here that Washtenaw County has taken recently (of passing a racial equity ordinance) … has garnered a lot of national attention,” he said. “I think that’s beautiful. I think moving forward, when you see the results that can happen over the next few years, I believe … Washtenaw County (can) become the go-to when it comes to being the authority on the topic of racial equity.”

Don't Edit

Lauren Slagter | MLive

Alize Asberry Payne

Asberry Payne said she would use a “collective accountability” approach to addressing race-based and place-based inequity in Washtenaw County.

She has more than 20 years of experience as a community organizer and program specialist, spending much of her career in San Francisco, California, and then working in Detroit for the past three years.

She developed a restorative justice program to reduce suspensions of high school students in San Francisco and organized voters to support a Community Benefits Ordinance ballot proposal in Detroit. She is a restorative practices practitioner and earned a bachelor’s degree from San Francisco State University.

As racial equity officer, Asberry Payne said she would use a collective accountability approach to engage stakeholders in outlining a plan to work together to address areas of inequity. To do that, she said she would intentionally seek input from the people most directly impacted by an issue and equip people from marginalized communities to take on leadership roles in that process.

“That’s how we build systemic change long-term,” she said.

Asberry Payne would like to complete a community assessment within six months on the job and start a collaborative process to build a five-year equity plan.

Within five years, she wants all Washtenaw County and city of Ann Arbor governmental departments to use racial equity frameworks, especially in hiring decisions; to have a fully-funded affordable housing community land trust; to use restorative justice programs rather than incarceration for all juvenile offenders; to meet the needs for substance abuse treatment and mental health services; to establish a workforce development program for youth and people who were formerly incarcerated; and to have a pipeline of education programs.

“The idea is that we’re seeing long-lasting changes in our community and that they will survive past the point of anybody in this room being involved in them,” she said.

In 10 years, Asberry Payne said she would begin engaging the community in developing another racial equity plan, drawing on lessons learned and gaps in services identified by their previous work. In 30 years, she hopes Washtenaw County will have experienced a generational shift where disparate outcomes based on place and race have fully eliminated and the progress can be maintained.

“When we talk about quality of life, what we’re really talking about is parity. … If we’re not seeing those measurable changes and those shifts, then the process isn’t working and we re-evaluate to move forward,” she said.

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Mesfin Johnson has a bachelor's degree from EMU.

Don't Edit

Washtenaw County's opportunity index tracks disparities in health, education and other areas across the county. Dark blue means very high opportunity, light blue is high opportunity, yellow is moderate opportunity, orange is low opportunity and red is very low opportunity. (Map courtesy of Washtenaw County opportunity index)

More on inequity in Washtenaw County

Here's what 'high' and 'low' opportunity looks like in Washtenaw County

Modern-day segregation: How vouchers keep the poor out of rich neighborhoods

Single Washtenaw County school district would level playing field for students, superintendent says

Racial inequalities in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti spark new health program

Activists target housing, transit in campaign to fight poverty, racism in Washtenaw

Don't Edit