Greetings, Russell City Community and Stakeholders,

Thank you all for your time and ideas leading up to our March 26, 2024 work session with the Hayward City Council and the Russell City Reparative Justice Project Steering Committee. We understand that exploring ways to repair the harm done to former residents and their descendants involves a lot of feelings and we're grateful for your patience, support, and knowledge. Below are some updates on the project.

Project Updates:

• Tracking Progress: City staff will begin to share monthly summaries to help you follow progress on the project. You can find these summaries on the Russell City Reparative Justice Project website to keep up with what's happening. 

• Status of the Recommendations: The community-led process led to 26 draft recommendations and a few addendums with suggestions on how to repair harm. We're looking into these ideas, but nothing's been approved yet.  

• Steering Committee: The Russell City Reparative Justice Project Steering Committee had its last meeting on May 20, 2024. Before the meeting, committee members gave us their thoughts on how community members should be engaged in going forward. They say it's important for community members to recommend their own solutions before the Hayward City Council makes a decision. 

• City Council Direction: The Hayward City Council directed staff to gather more input from former residents and descendants to make sure as many voices as possible are heard before a decision is made. Additionally, they asked our staff to figure out what's needed to make these recommendations happen. They also want the list of recommendations to be narrowed down to the main ideas on what can repair the harm.  

• City Council Direction: Staff responded to the direction from City Council by looking at the 26 draft recommendations, addendums sent by the steering committee, and what community members said at the meetings in March and February.  

• Next Steps: Based on priorities voiced by the public, staff identified 10 categories to group the recommendations. The 10 proposals will be developed with community input. The City of Hayward will host a series of town hall meetings and Public Comment opportunities, so the 10 proposals are informed by the voices of former Russell City residents and their descendants.  

• Town Halls & Public Comment: This summer, the City of Hayward will host five town hall meetings to hear your ideas on these 10 proposals to repair the harm. Town halls will occur online on Wednesday evenings from July to September 2024. After each town hall, there will be 16 days for you to share your final thoughts on the ideas being proposed to the Hayward City Council.

How to Get Involved:

• Please expect an email in the coming weeks with information about the town halls.  

• You can also check the project website for information about community meetings. 

• If you know someone who isn't getting updates, please tell them to fill out the mailing list form to subscribe for updates. 

Thank you again for being part of this important project!