Black Leadership Advisory Council presents annual report in Grand Rapids

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Michigan’s Black Leadership Advisory Council was in Grand Rapids Wednesday to discuss some of the most serious issues facing Black residents across the state.

The council was created by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 with the goal of giving policy recommendations that could affect state laws.

“I think, first of all, the impact has been just communal from the group bringing together a diverse group of people from all over the state, so I think that’s been big just learning from each other,” Chris Burtley, a co-chair of the council, said.

On Wednesday, the group presented its 2024 report to leaders in Grand Rapids.

“The recommendations really seek to address what barriers can we remove in order to help and support the 1.2 million Black Michiganders across our state,” Grand Rapids City Commissioner Kelsey Purdue, who serves on the advisory council, explained.

The report covered a variety of topics including health, public safety and education.

“What we’re asking the governor with the Legislature to do is to create a weighted funding formula that means that all schools aren’t funded the same from state resources, but they are funded based on need,” Purdue said.

Another of the big issues the council is focusing on this year is pay equity.

“Many workers, when you apply for a job, you go through the process, you don’t know actually how much you’ll be offered at the end. People take time off of work; they go through the process. They don’t have much visibility into what the ultimate offer is,” Burtley said.

One of the biggest changes made from the council’s first set of recommendations made it illegal to discriminate because of someone’s hair style.

“The passing of the Crown Act , which is an amendment to the Elliot Larson Civil Rights Act, which protects not only ethnicity and race but also hair, because we know how people may dress or their hair, especially natural hair, can be an extension of their ethnicity and we’ve seen discrimination with people based on the way they naturally wear their hair,” Purdue said.

The group wants to keep having an impact on policy.

“Generations that come can reference our documents, reference our policies and make progress on things that we hope continue to be implemented,” Burtley said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.