Dayton Daily News launches race and equity project

The Dayton Daily News will launch a new project on Sunday, the Path Forward: Race and Equity.

The first story publishing Sunday will lay out some of the data that reveals the inequities in our region. Over the next several months, we will dig into why racist policies and programs persist in our region and examine solutions in the areas of health, jobs and the economy, public safety and criminal justice, housing and education.

“The protests last summer showed how many in our community feel that our nation’s problems with racial disparities are clearly impacting local lives,” Dayton Daily News Editor Jim Bebbington said. “Through our Path Forward coverage over the next year we’re going to examine what the data shows and the real-life experiences are. Our coverage will highlight progress and gaps in our region’s efforts to make it so all residents feel they have a fair shot at living a good life here.”

Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission President Brian Martin said achieving equity is critical to moving our entire region forward. Martin is a member of the Dayton Daily News Community Advisory Board.

“It’s the issue of the day, because until we can make sure that everyone has access to opportunity, really we’re holding ourselves back as a region,” Martin said. “We’re dragging along our past and our history. So until we can improve and rid ourselves of the way that we were developed, of our transgressions, until we make sure that everyone has access to opportunity, I think that’s still going to affect our region.”

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