In June 2020, Governor Laura Kelly signed Executive Order 20-48, forming the Governor’s Commission on Racial Equity and Justice. The commission studied issues of racial equity and justice across systems in Kansas, focusing first on policing and law enforcement and then on economic systems, education, and health care. The commission developed recommendations for state agencies, the Legislature, and local governments. The commission issued three reports:
- December 2020 – Policing and Law Enforcement in Kansas
- July 2021 – Social Determinants of Health, First Report
- December 2021 – Social Determinants of Health, Final Report
David Jordan, president and CEO of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund, chaired the subcommittee on health care. Following the completion of the commission’s final report, the Health Fund and Jordan partnered with commissioners throughout 2022 to lift up the recommendations through webinars focused on each level of government and through monthly opinion pieces highlighting the recommendations by subject area.
In November 2022, the Kansas Leadership Center reported on the commission’s work in a piece titled, “A commission’s work on racial equity proceeding step by step.“
WEBINARS
View the slides from the legislative level webinar.
View the slides from the state and agency level webinar.
View the slides from the local level webinar.
OPINION PIECES
