The City of Boulder’s racial equity plan is no panacea, according to its critics and supporters alike. Passed unanimously by City Council on Feb. 16, it’s meant to guide the City in eliminating institutional and systemic racism in its policies and practices. And it generally comes with widespread community support, with speakers at the public hearing urging Council to adopt the plan, but not without the caveat that the City needs to do more. The City admits the formal plan is just the first step in a long, and perhaps arduous, process, while critics say it’s insufficient — created with good intentions but lacking the power to actually change the way society functions. 

For some, the skepticism comes not from what’s in the plan, but from what it leaves out. The NAACP of Boulder County was involved in developing the plan, and president Annett James does believe the organization’s concerns were considered and even included to some extent. Still, she remains wary of what will actually come of it. 

“This is just a good general plan,” James says. “It’s general and the NAACP works more on specifics and tangibles.”

But passing a racial equity plan is just the start, says Robert Montoya, west regional manager for Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), a national network of which Boulder is a member. It’s an attempt to respond to the gravity of the situation, but within the context of government bureaucracy, which is often difficult to navigate and slow to change.  

It’s “the planting of the seed of racial justice,” he says. “Now we have to water it. Now we have to weed it. Now we have to shade it, and so many times, many folks just want that bloom.” 

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