(KNSI) – On Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order establishing the Governor’s Community Council on Inclusion and Equity.
The 15-person council will be led by Walz’s chief inclusion officer and its mission is to develop and implement policies that address inequities in the state.
The governor’s office cites the persisting inequities faced by people of color, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the reason for creating the council.
A statement from the governor’s office states that Minnesota has an important role to play to address the roots of these inequities.
The move comes as authorities in Georgia are investigating a string of shootings at Asian-owned businesses in Atlanta on Tuesday that left eight people dead, most of whom were Asian-American. In a direct response to shootings in Atlanta, Walz has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on Monday, March 22nd to honor those victims.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, hate crimes against Asian-Americans have risen, likely due to racist rhetoric about where the novel coronavirus emerged.
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