FIRST ON FOX – A city in New Mexico is currently processing a "culture change" in government where critical race theory permeates, with the help of a far-left equity consultant.
Shortly after he was elected in 2017, Albuquerque Democratic Mayor Tim Keller promised to overhaul the government with antiracist ideals.
"From Day One of our administration, we knew that inequity was growing and that we would have to change the culture," he said. "When has learning and growing ever been comfortable?"
Keller established the Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) in March 2018 to implement his vision of racial equity. The office created trainings on critical race theory and made some employees feel uncomfortable along the way, the OEI director said in the 2021 report.
One of the equity consultants hired included Zamil Salhab from RACED Consulting, who has far-left views, including that the U.S. military is the "home of White supremacy." Salhab is a "genderqueer first generation American and Post 9-11 veteran," according to the RACED Consulting website.
"Being first generation and being black, being queer. And then to go into what I believe is the home of White supremacy and patriarchy, the military. Little did I realize like what damage… I was doing to myself and what I'd have to go through in order to deconstruct myself after getting out of the service," Salhab said in June 2020. "Because society not only teaches that Black bodies are less than… And so and then to be a woman. So to deal with those different intersectionalities of the White supremacy construct, it was, you know, for a period of time I thought I was nuts, I thought I was crazy."
The city confirmed, "The Office of Equity and Inclusion contracted with RACED Consulting LLC."
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RACED Consulting has expertise on the topic of "white fragility," according to its website.
"We will explore white fragility and its impact on building racially inclusive practices… We share personal experiences with white fragility and its effect on you and those around you," the website states.
Another area of expertise is "De-Centering Whiteness," "Interrupting White Supremacy," and "Interrupting Whiteness."
Despite all the CRT training that low-level employees attended, RACED Consulting wrote in the city's 2021 report that higher ups were largely absent from those trainings.
"The said process of deconstructing white supremacy behaviors is both external and internal. Visibly absent from the 2021 RACED sessions were department directors and city leadership," the consulting section in the report stated.
"Investment into the Culture Change Initiative must manifest through all levels of Albuquerque city government and be more expansive than just monetary; it must consider the intangible costs and benefits of building true relationships throughout the city and the wider community to foster a deep and sustainable Culture Change," it concluded in the city's official report.
And, according to the diversity, equity and inclusion head, some city employees are uncomfortable with Keller's racial agenda.
"We also see a small but vocal resistance to addressing racism," Michelle Melendez, director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion, said about the internal dynamics. "Systemic racism is one of the root causes of some of our most serious challenges, and addressing it within municipal government will make our city better for the long-term. That’s culture change."
"There is a better understanding and openness to conversations about anti-racism and social justice topics," another section of the report said.
As part of their effort to change the culture, every department was given a DEI staffer who would report on and give an "equity assessment." Those "liaisons" went through over 10 months of training in order to be prepared for their missions.
"We all realized in our first year of working with equity liaisons that shifting the culture of institutions is extremely challenging," the report said. "Each of the liaisons who were able to complete the 10 months of training and technical assistance was able to introduce and move forward equity work in their respective departments."
Some of the departments that were included in the equity liaison were animal welfare, environmental health, transit and the police department.
Each of those departments developed their own "racial equity action plan[s] of that Department’s practices, policies, expenditures, and distribution of resources."
Before Keller was elected in 2017, employees "were reluctant to talk openly about race, racism," according to OEI Director Melendez.
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"The Culture Change Initiative was instrumental in building the City’s capacity to work toward equitable outcomes," the report stated.
RACED Consulting and the City of Albuquerque didn't immediately respond for comment.
