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Government Alliance on Race and Equity & County-wide Framework Update.
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Staff: |
Department: |
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Rae Buckley, Director, Organizational and Strategic Initiatives |
Manager’s Office |
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Sarah Osmer Viñas, Assistant Director |
Housing and Community |
Overview: This memorandum provides information about staff participation in the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) program. The memorandum also shares the County-wide Racial Equity Framework for Council feedback and direction.
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Recommendation(s): |
That the Council receive this report and provide feedback on the Racial Equity Framework and proposed next steps.
Town Commitment to Equity and Inclusion
• The Town Council identified equity as an overarching priority that should be considered in all goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan <https://www.townofchapelhill.org/home/showdocument?id=43339>. Racial equity is also a cornerstone of the Town’s Community Connections Strategy <https://www.townofchapelhill.org/home/showpublisheddocument?id=44505>, our framework for equitable engagement.
• Additionally, the Town has intentionally focused on building out a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program over the last several years, in response to Council’s interest in this area.
Overview of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) Program
• The Government Alliance on Race and Equity <https://www.racialequityalliance.org/> (GARE) is a national network of government agencies working to advance racial equity. GARE brings together governments throughout the country to provide racial equity training and racial equity tools, sharing best practices, peer-to-peer learning, and academic resources to help strengthen work across jurisdictions. For additional information, see the attachment.
• The foundation of the GARE approach is using a Racial Equity Tool to inform and guide decision-making and resource allocation. A document about the Racial Equity Tool is attached to this memorandum.
• Orange County, Carrboro and Chapel Hill are enrolled with six other North Carolina municipalities in the 2020-21 GARE Learning Community. This is a program that uses training and team projects to learn how to build a Racial Equity Plan using GARE’s racial equity tools and strategies.
• Current areas of focus include:
- Preparing training for Town staff and elected officials on racial equity and the GARE model
- Incorporating racial equity questions into evaluation of COVID-19 response/recovery efforts (Who benefits? Who is burdened? Who is disproportionately impacted?)
- Piloting new approaches, including:
o Adding racial equity questions to our affordable housing funding applications
o Neighborhood Support Circles
o Tracking demographic information for community engagement efforts
- Advancing the Re-Imagining Community Safety Project <http://www.townofchapelhill.org/reimaginecommunitysafety>
- Developing County-wide racial equity framework (see below)
County-wide Racial Equity Framework
• The GARE team leadership from Orange County, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Hillsborough are drafting a shared framework for building a racial equity program to be the foundation for each jurisdiction’s individual Racial Equity Plans. The goal of this effort is to create a common language and set of principles for our racial equity work.
• The Framework includes the following components:
1. Organizational Capacity: Identify resources to undertake racial equity work.
2. Racial Equity Tool: Apply a racial equity lens to decision-making and resource allocation.
3. Racial Equity Index: Use data to develop strategies and identify gaps.
4. Community Engagement: Include the populations affected by racial equity strategies.
5. Accountability and Urgency: Establish change as a priority and set institutional commitments for accountability.
Proposed Next Steps
• Training: GARE provided a Train the Trainer model that staff will provide to employees.
• Data: Building out a County-wide racial equity index of data that is disaggregated by race.
• Racial Equity Framework and Plan: Staff anticipate completing the Framework by spring of this year, after which the County teams would initiate a community led process for developing a racial equity plan. Town of Chapel Hill staff with consult with the Town Council before initiating the planning process.
• Pilot Projects: Staff will continue to apply the racial equity tool to existing projects.
Fiscal Impact/Resources: Building a Racial Equity program requires staff resources to lead the use of the Racial Equity Tool and provide training about racial equity goals and strategies. Funding for these resources could be considered during the Fiscal Year 2022 budget process.
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Attachments: |
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• Draft Staff Presentation |
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• GARE Racial Equity Tool |
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The Agenda will reflect the text below and/or the motion text will be used during the meeting. |
presenter
PRESENTER: Rae Buckley, Director of Organizational and Strategic Initiatives
Sarah Osmer Viñas, Assistant Director of Housing and Community
The purpose of this presentation is to provide information about staff participation in the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) program and to seek feedback about the County-wide Racial Equity Framework and Council’s goals for racial equity planning.