Community engagement: Get involved.

The Equity & Social Justice Initiative makes fairness and opportunity for all central to King County's work at three levels of action: policy development and decision-making, delivery of county services and community partnerships. The Initiative calls on King County to be a catalyst for mobilizing the community and supporting effective partnerships and actions.

King County is engaging residents in community dialogues that will increase awareness on issues of equity and social determinants of health and spur action, especially around policies. Segments of the four-hour PBS series "Unnatural Causes" will be shown in town halls and group discussions as a tool to engage in dialogues with the community.

Group discussions

Group discussions provide an opportunity for meaningful dialogue about inequities and their effects on people's lives and health. Participants will look at upstream causes of inequities and spur actions.

You can get involved by hosting a dialogue group

• Define your audience, such as an existing interest group or coalition, an advocacy organization, or a community group.

• Set clear goals and objectives. How will "Unnatural Causes" and the dialogue be used to educate, organize or advocate for equity?

• Foster opportunities for action, utilizing appropriate levels of action for the group, to move the dialogue into action.

Facilitators available for you!

King County has trained a group of facilitators to lead discussions using the video series Unnatural Causes. Contact us if you want to hold a dialogue in your organization or community. Dialogues are educational opportunities on the root causes of inequities, and they help community groups and King County make progress in promoting equity and social justice.

Tools available to you

• Unnatural Causes Action Toolkit

• King County dialogues resources
  • Planning tool: Before getting started 
  • Tracking tool 
  • Dialogue questions for facilitators 
  • Participant form: Keeping in touch 
  • Participant evaluation form 
  • Dialogue facilitation: Why is Jason in the hospital?

To request a DVD for a screening in King County, email matias.valenzuela@kingcounty.gov

Town halls

Watch the video of the 3/13/08 Town Hall in Real Media format.*

Large Town Hall events provide an opportunity for community members to see segments of "Unnatural Causes" and to speak out and address inequities in King County.

Ron Sims Community Town Hall – March 13, 2008

On March 13, 2008, approximately 300 people joined King County Executive Ron Sims and more than 40 co-sponsoring organizations for a Community Town Hall on equity and social justice.

Panelists included Dr. Ben Danielson, Medical Director, Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, Emma Medicine White Crow, Vice Chair to the Governor's Interagency Council on Health Disparities, and Dr. Ed Taylor, Vice Provost & Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, University of Washington.
See event photos from Executive Sims' website.

*You will need RealPlayer ® - Basic installed on your computer in order to view this streaming videos through your Internet browser. Install the free version of the Real Player.

King County Council Town Hall – March 24, 2008

The King County Council examined the Equity and Social Justice Initiative at a Town Hall Meeting in Kent on Monday, March 24. Approximately 300 people met at the Kent Senior Activity Center. The Town Hall included a screening of a clip from "Unnatural Causes" – a ground-breaking new PBS documentary that exposes America’s socio-economic and racial inequities in health.

After the film clip, the Council hosted a panel discussion that included Ngozi Oleru, Director of Environmental Services for Public Health-Seattle & King County, and Dr. James Krieger, Chief of the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention Program for Public Health. The public had opportunities to comment and ask questions.

Watch a video from the March 24, 2008 town hall in real media format.

Equity town hall: Our neighborhoods, our health - October 8, 2008

On the evening of Wednesday, October 8, 2008 community members were invited to explore how social environments and neighborhoods, including quality of education, housing and community economic development, have a direct impact on residents' well-being.

The Equity town hall featured Dr. David Williams, an internationally recognized authority on the social influences on health. Dr. Williams is the Florence and Laura Norman Professor of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health and Professor of African and African American Studies and an Affiliate of the Sociology Department at Harvard University. Speakers included King County Executive Ron Sims and a panel with Dr. David Fleming, Director and Health Officer of Public Health - Seattle & King County, Ethelda Burke, Superintendent of the Tukwila School District, and Aaron Katz, School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of Washington.

This town hall was presented by the Washington State Public Health Association and King County. Town hall co-sponsors included the Seattle Foundation, Swedish Medical Center, Virigina Mason Medical Center, University of Washington’s School of Public Health Extended MPH Degree Program, Bastyr University, Mount Zion Baptist Church, Washington State Medical Association and Washington State Hospital Association

Watch the October 8, 2008 town hall.

Contacts

• Maria Carlos: maria.carlos@kingcounty.gov
• Sandra Ciske: sandra.ciske@kingcounty.gov
• Matías Valenzuela: matias.valenzuela@kingcounty.gov