TITLE: Title
Racial Equity/GARE Initiative Update
PURPOSE: The purpose of this agenda item is to update the Town Council on the racial equity initiative.
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DEPARTMENT: Town Management
CONTACT INFORMATION: Anita Jones-McNair, amcnair@townofcarrboro.org, 919.918.7381
INFORMATION: The North Carolina GARE Learning Cohort is coming to end and the real work is about to begin for the Town of Carrboro and Orange County.
Timeline at a glance:
Summer 2020 - Participated in the North Carolina Learning Cohort using a virtual format
August - October 2020 - Completing several group projects that involve graduation
September 2020 - Collaborated with Orange County jurisdictions on County Racial Equity Plan
October 2020 - Share Countywide view with elected officials
November 2020 - Early 2021 - Collaborative teams draft Countywide Racial Equity Plan
November - December 2020 - Participate in Local Government Project Symposium/Graduation
Various meetings have taken place with Orange County, Chapel Hill and Hillsborough to discuss a Countywide Racial Equity Plan that includes local strategies. We believe it is beneficial to leverage our shared resources for this initiative and the thinking extends regionally as well. We scheduled a regional meeting this. week.
Although the pandemic has accelerated our racial equity work, it has also created an opportunity for us to reimagine how to move forward advancing racial equity as a region. Instead of looking at racial equity from a jurisdictional position, we believe we should be looking at racial equity collaboratively - as a jurisdiction, county and region. In Orange County, working collaboratively we can work to break down not only institutional racism but also systemic racism.
The attached draft outlines the steps we plan to take to develop a comprehensive countywide racial equity plan, that is not only data-driven but keeps us accountable for the work we are required to do. See Attachment A. ...
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