October 28th: Belonging by Design: Building More Equitable Local Systems

Speaker: Debbie Lacy (she/her)

About the Speaker

Debbie Lacy is the Founder and Director of Eastside For All and the Build for Belonging Action Fund. Her nonprofit initiatives advance racial equity across East King County, focusing on housing, school districts, community safety, economic development, and urban planning. Debbie is of mixed ethnic heritage and the daughter of a Mexican immigrant. She has more than 25 years of nonprofit experience in East King County, beginning at Youth Eastside Services, where she provided outreach and counseling. Welcoming America named her one of five Women of Welcoming in the U.S. in 2023. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College and an MSW from the University of Maryland at Baltimore.

About the Presentation

Drawing on the work of Eastside For All, Debbie Lacy will share examples of community-rooted efforts to advance affordable housing, equitable development, and protections for immigrants and refugees. She will also explore the vision for a new cross-cultural community facility in Redmond. The facility is designed to support small business owners, civic participation, community connection, and emerging leadership. Through these examples, the session shows how local action can build greater opportunity and belonging for all, and how more equitable local systems can be built by design.