The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting took a sharp turn when a discussion became a passionate debate about defining 'white supremacy.'
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting took a sharp turn Tuesday when a discussion about a report on the county's first Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice became a passionate debate about defining "white supremacy." At one point, in defending the people contributing to the report and their choice of words, District 5 supervisor Federal Glover - who is African American - said the board must respect people feeling that way, even if it is uncomfortable.
Once the recommendations - which included hiring two co-directors for the department, among others - were presented, District 2 supervisor Candace Andersen immediately took issue with term "white supremacy," which was used in the report's introduction. "I see white supremacist as somebody who is an extremist, who wants to harm other people," Andersen said. "To me, having that statement is something that is a divisive statement and I just want to make sure that the product that is produced, and that we accept as a board, avoids language such as that, where I'm hopeful that the intent is we're talking about disparities and balances of services.
District 3 supervisor Diane Burgis and board chairperson Karen Mitchoff also took exception to the term. Mitchoff initially said she wouldn't vote to receive the report if it included the term "entrenched culture of white supremacy." Mitchoff was also agitated with District 1 Supervisor John Gioia, who helped present the report, saying she wasn't aware the term was being used until Monday, which she then raised with Gioia the same day.