Arlington's sub-council aimed at promoting equality will likely have to rework its branding, policies and procedures to protect its federal and state funding, Chief Equity Officer Troy Williams told city council members Tuesday.
He said they’re rethinking the kind of roles, titles and entities they have, including renaming the Office of Business Diversity. According to a presentation Williams gave during the city council work session, they are also considering renaming the position of chief equity officer and the Unity Council itself.
“The weakness is that uncertainty in terms of state and federal funding for programs, the legal standing of some of our operations and then vulnerability to potential implications for city non-compliance with any state regulation,” Williams said.
The Unity Council's pivot comes amidst a federal and state push against DEI initiatives meant to correct historical inequities.
On President Donald Trump's first day in office, he signed an executive order directing federal agencies to end all DEI programs, calling them "immoral discrimination programs."
In Texas, the legislature in 2023 passed Senate Bill 17, which banned DEI initiatives at public colleges and universities. More recently, a bill banning DEI programs in public K-12 schools passed in the House, putting it closer to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk.
A similar bill, Texas Senate Bill 689 – which aimed to prevent local governments from establishing any body that promotes DEI initiatives – is effectively dead in the state legislature, Williams said at the work session. That saves the Unity Council from having to disband or radically change.
Two city council members and the mayor spoke up in support of Williams and the Unity Council’s work.
Mayor Jim Ross cautioned against changing the Unity Council too much, saying it’s important for the city to promote its diversity.
“We can continue to look to make sure we stay ahead of that curve a little bit with what's going on in the state and the federal government,” he said. “I would also caution us that we have to exercise a little bit of restraint, possibly, to ensure we don't lose that keen advantage by being able to brag about the strength in our diversity.”
Council member Bowie Hogg said it’s a good idea to rethink everything to avoid the next time the state or federal government tries to pass legislation similar to SB 689.
“I think we should look at everything on the table,” Hogg said. “We can all see the good work that's been done, but we don't need to get meddled in with the complications that come.”
The Unity Council was created in the summer of 2020 after the death of George Floyd. The council was tasked with recommending ways the city could encourage equality and eliminate racism and discrimination in the city’s practices, according to the city’s website.
The council’s recommendations have led to city council action like the establishment of a chief equity officer, a police department chaplain and more free Wi-Fi at public spaces, according to the Fort Worth Report.
The work of the Unity Council won Arlington an award in the National League of Cities’ 2021 Cultural Diversity Awards.
The next set of recommendations from the Unity Council will come out this summer. Williams said the report will be more “retrospective” and look at the Unity Council’s progress over the last five years. He also said the recommendations will be more universal, rather than focusing on individual groups of people.
Dylan Duke is KERA's summer 2025 SPJ news intern. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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