Whatcom Racial Equity Commission accepting applicants, deadline February 29

Applications are now being accepted for the first group of people to serve on the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission. The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. Thursday, February 29.

The Whatcom Racial Equity Commission will serve as a countywide advisory board that makes recommendations on improving racial equity in the community. The new group of members will assist with starting the commission through determining how it operates, electing leadership and focusing priorities.

Applicants must be Whatcom County residents and meet requirements for the specific position in which they are applying.

There are 15 of 19 appointed member positions open; positions for subject matter experts will open once the seated commission determines its areas of concern.

The community member positions on the commission will be comprised of a student; someone caring for a student enrolled in a Whatcom County public school; an immigrant, migrant or refugee; a business owner, manager or independent contractor; and someone between the ages of 16 and 24. The commission will also have two people who do diversity, equity and inclusion work in educational institutions; two human service providers; one racial equity advocate; one representative from a philanthropic organization; one faith leader; and one multilingual healthcare provider.

An appointment committee will be tasked with choosing members, who will then be confirmed by Whatcom County Council and Bellingham City Council.

Whatcom County Council voted in October 2022 to establish the commission, following county council’s adoption of a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis in November 2020.

Commission applications are available on the Chuckanut Health Foundation website, at bit.ly/49psKJx. Applications can be submitted to the foundation via email, or mailed to the foundation at P.O. Box 5641, Bellingham, WA, 98227.

For more information or help on completing the application, contact wrec@chuckanuthealthfoundation.org or 360/671-3349.