Kudos to Johnson County’s new diversity coalition. It sends a powerful, needed message | Opinion

Despite resistance from a small, vocal contingent of residents, Johnson County recently approved its first advisory group to advance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in Kansas’ most populous and affluent county.

Good on Mike Kelly, chair of the Johnson County Commission, and four other members of the Board of County Commissioners for recognizing the importance of having diverse voices to help chart the future of Johnson County. Two commissioners rejected the resolution.

We see no problem in forming a coalition to discuss the needs of people from minority and other marginalized groups. Only commissioners Charlotte O’Hara and Michael Ashcraft apparently have no interest in providing a level playing field for all Johnson Countians.

Residents called for the formation of a group to help understand the county’s diverse population. For the most part, officials listened.

Policy level recommendations will be key, Kelly told us this week. Real insight from a variety of well-vetted and trustworthy sources could be a catalyst to a more welcoming and inclusive Johnson County, he said.

Interested in serving in the coalition? Applications are open to the public on the county’s website, according to officials. You don’t have to live in Johnson County to serve.

For months, Kelly pushed for the formation of the group. Up to 15 individuals from all walks of life will be appointed, according to officials. Kelly will nominate each. But only those approved by the Board of County Commissioners will take their seat, according to the resolution approved June 29 by a 5-2 vote.

Why oppose representing people who have historically been underrepresented because of their identity, background or disability, the stated intention of the advisory group?

“We are a society of equal opportunity,” O’Hara said in opposition. Sorry, Commissioner, that is not true. Under Kelly’s leadership, Johnson County strives to be a place where all have the same access to resources and opportunities. But to say the place is free of discrimination, bigotry and hate is a flat out farce.

Recent fatal hate attacks on Jewish, Indian targets

We remember the 2014 shooting at two Overland Park Jewish centers that killed three people, including 14-year-old Reat Griffin Underwood and his 69-year-old grandfather, William Lewis Corporon. Avowed white supremacist Frazier Glenn Miller Jr. fatally shot 53-year-old Terri LaManno, too.

How could O’Hara and others forget the tragic shooting in 2017 of two men of Indian descent at Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe? One victim, Srinivas Kuchibhotla, 32, died. In both shootings, ethnicity was a contributing factor, authorities said.

Other pressing issues exist and must be addressed through an equity lens: affordable housing, the shift from gasoline-powered to electric automobiles, reliable public transportation services and the effects of climate change — one of Kelly’s top priorities, and a concern we should all share.

At every turn, O’Hara tried to impede the formation of the coalition. She wanted each commissioner to choose two members by commission district. Kelly, the chair, would select the other three. If O’Hara had her way, appointees would have to reside in Johnson County. O’Hara’s proposed amendments, four in all, fell flat and were turned away by a majority vote. Good. The same rules that apply to appointing members to other county committees apply here, proponents of the new coalition said.

For many reasons, voters elected Kelly over O’Hara as commission chair last November. Could O’Hara’s objection to all things inclusive and fair be why she lost? Nah, couldn’t be.

How will Kelly ensure a good mix of expert voices are appointed? Our hope is that the chairman uses every resource available to him to recruit quality candidates from throughout the metropolitan area. For now, we will trust the county’s process of appointing members to public boards, committees and coalitions.

Will the board truly represent a more diverse Johnson County, as Kelly envisions? Checks and balances for all countywide board appointments were under review, Kelly said.

Perhaps Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick, who is white, speaks for a majority of Johnson County residents. She certainly doesn’t know what it feels like to be a minority or a member of a marginalized group, she said during a public meeting in May.

“As a white woman, I cannot begin to comprehend the experiences of other people who are Black and brown and transgender,” Hanzlick said then. She welcomed the coalition and voted in favor of it.

“I would never assume I know what their experiences are,” Hanzlick continued. “That’s why I think a coalition like this is so important because I want to hear from those people.”

Johnson County officials owe it to all residents to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment. To be against that represents bad public policy.

‘Equity is the communist way’

At the commissioners’ June 29 meeting, Jennifer Williams of Spring Hill spoke out against the resolution. We won’t pretend to know why Williams was so against equity work in Johnson County. Most of what she said in opposition had little merit. She defined equity as a political, socialist infiltration. Of what, is anyone’s guess. She then went to a familiar but nonfactual claim against diversity, equity and inclusion work.

“I’m tired of being discriminated against because I’m a white woman,” Williams said. “I’m not elite just because I’m white. I came from a poor family. I worked hard to get my college paid for. It had nothing to do with the color of my skin.”

Other speakers described equity as a divisive form of Marxism, socialism, communism and whatever other -ism one could summon.

In 2020, researchers at George Washington University’s Milken Institute of Public Health defined equity as recognizing that each person has different circumstances in life, but only by allocating equitable resources and opportunities as needed can an equal outcome be reached.

Here’s a snapshot of dissenting voices, on record (and captured in streaming video — hello YouTube), for the world to see:

“Equal opportunity is the American way,” said Prairie Village’s John Anderson. “Equity is the communist way. Equal outcome is impossible.” Good grief.

Steve Snitz, also of Prairie Village, said: “In my opinion, Johnson County is already diverse and inclusive, and it happened organically. Everyone is welcome here as far as I’m aware.” The families of those killed in fatal bias-related shootings in Overland Park and Olathe would vehemently disagree.

Others were more supportive of the proposal. Different viewpoints in county government would be beneficial to all residents, said Cassie Woolworth of Olathe.

“I am a white Johnson County woman, and I did have a college education,” Woolworth said. “But that is not the experience for everyone.”

Yes, the Board of County Commissioners must continue to address systemic issues in the county. By acknowledging the lived experience of historical marginalized groups, Kelly and four other commissioners sent a powerful statement that Johnson County is ready to provide equitable opportunities for all its residents.