Arlington's sub-council aimed at promoting equality will likely have to rework its branding, policies and procedures to protect its federal and state funding, Chief Equity Officer Troy Williams told city council members Tuesday.
He said they鈥檙e rethinking the kind of roles, titles and entities they have, including renaming the Office of Business Diversity. According to a Williams gave during the city council work session, they are also considering renaming the position of chief equity officer and the Unity Council itself.
鈥淭he weakness is that uncertainty in terms of state and federal funding for programs, the legal standing of some of our operations and then vulnerability to potential implications for city non-compliance with any state regulation,鈥� Williams said.
The Unity Council's pivot comes amidst a federal and state push against DEI initiatives meant to correct historical inequities.
On President Donald Trump's first day in office, he signed an directing federal agencies to end all DEI programs, calling them "immoral discrimination programs."
In Texas, the legislature in 2023 passed , which banned DEI initiatives at public colleges and universities. More recently, a bill banning DEI programs in public K-12 schools passed in the House, putting it closer to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.
A similar bill, 鈥� which aimed to prevent local governments from establishing any body that promotes DEI initiatives 鈥� is effectively dead in the state legislature, Williams said at the work session. That saves the Unity Council from having to disband or radically change.
Two city council members and the mayor spoke up in support of Williams and the Unity Council鈥檚 work.
Mayor Jim Ross cautioned against changing the Unity Council too much, saying it鈥檚 important for the city to promote its diversity.
鈥淲e can continue to look to make sure we stay ahead of that curve a little bit with what's going on in the state and the federal government,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would also caution us that we have to exercise a little bit of restraint, possibly, to ensure we don't lose that keen advantage by being able to brag about the strength in our diversity.鈥�
Council member Bowie Hogg said it鈥檚 a good idea to rethink everything to avoid the next time the state or federal government tries to pass legislation similar to SB 689.
鈥淚 think we should look at everything on the table,鈥� Hogg said. 鈥淲e can all see the good work that's been done, but we don't need to get meddled in with the complications that come.鈥�
The Unity Council was created in the summer of 2020 after the death of George Floyd. The council was tasked with recommending ways the city could encourage equality and eliminate racism and discrimination in the city鈥檚 practices, according to the .
The council鈥檚 recommendations have led to city council action like the establishment of a chief equity officer, a police department chaplain and more free Wi-Fi at public spaces, according to the .
The work of the Unity Council won Arlington an award in the National League of Cities鈥� 2021 Cultural Diversity Awards.
The next set of recommendations from the Unity Council will come out this summer. Williams said the report will be more 鈥渞etrospective鈥� and look at the Unity Council鈥檚 progress over the last five years. He also said the recommendations will be more universal, rather than focusing on individual groups of people.
Dylan Duke is 四虎影院's summer 2025 SPJ news intern. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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