45 The supervisors called for a study to help them better understand conditions that negatively affect the health and well-being of Black residents in LA County. In the inaugural report on the State of Black Los Angeles County, maps and data science lay bare this unequal reality. Los Angeles County has the third-largest Black population nationally. The report found that despite living in one of the most prosperous counties in the nation, Black residents are more likely to experience large disparities in family stability, health and mental wellness, education, employment, economic opportunity, public safety, criminal justice, and housing. Black residents also experience higher rates of homelessness, incarceration, and rent burden. These conditions combine with a higher risk than other groups for dying younger, earning less, and being denied a home loan. County officials hope the report, with its many maps that show where disparities exist, will “guide, govern, and increase the county’s ongoing commitment to fighting racism.” The county’s research for the report drew on data analysis, digital mapping from GIS technology, and firsthand accounts. Findings in the report indicate that racism in Los Angeles County has existed through decades of disinvestment in Black communities, unfair hiring practices, and discrimination in college admissions. “We want this report to be a model for other counties and cities to think about how they assess the impact of their policies and procedures,” said Dr. Tolu Wuraola, data analyst and racial equity consultant for the Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) Initiative. A Call to Action Los Angeles Supervisors unanimously adopted a motion to establish an Anti-Racism County Policy Agenda on July 21, 2020. After Minneapolis police officers killed George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, on May 25, 2020, the board said it had a responsibility to act and address centuries of structural racism. The following year, in 2021, the board voted unanimously in a separate action to return the waterfront property known as Bruce’s Beach. The property was illegally taken from Black entrepreneurs nearly a century earlier. When fixing this historic injustice, LA County leaders said that more can be done. The State of Black Los Angeles County report provides the social and historical context that explains why racial disparities exist. The report’s maps allow county officials to see the number and location of neighborhoods where disparities exist. The Board of Supervisors passed a motion in July 2020 to establish the ARDI Initiative. The team supporting this initiative worked with key stakeholders to develop the county’s Racial Equity Strategic Plan. According to the 10-year plan, which was passed in 2023, “The disparate geographic landscape of opportunity yields very different life outcomes for those raised in neighborhoods of affluence compared to those raised in neighborhoods of disadvantage.” Through this plan, the county is coordinating its departments to improve opportunities for education, full-time employment for individuals, and incomes above the poverty level for families. The county is also working to prevent infant deaths and first-time felony convictions for adults. Equity and Social Justice Los Angeles County’s racial equity strategic plan has a set of goals and a dashboard to track progress.
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