The Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) is happy to announce the launch of a learning cohort of governmental jurisdictions in the Bay Area that will be working to advance racial equity. The cohort will utilize a curriculum that builds on the growing field of governmental practices to tackle this challenge and will feature an “Advancing Racial Equity” speaker series that provides the opportunity for jurisdictions to learn and strategize with each other and their communities.
The kick-off of the Advancing Racial Equity Speaker Series is Friday, January 15th from 1 pm to 3 pm at the California Ballroom (1736 Franklin Street, Oakland, CA 94612) and will feature University of California, Berkeley, Professor john powell, Director of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, Julie Nelson, Director of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE), and Dwayne Marsh, the Deputy Director of GARE and lead for the California Alliance on Race and Equity Northern California cohort.
If you are in the Bay Area, you are invited to attend (see RSVP details below)! If you are not able to join us, we will be posting video on our site later, so be sure to stay tuned.
powell, Nelson, and Marsh will highlight GARE’s work to achieve racial equity in our communities and create fair and just outcomes for all. Racial inequities currently exist across all indicators for success, including education, criminal justice, employment, housing, public infrastructure, and health. This is true regardless of the region of the country, or the size of jurisdiction in question. GARE recognizes the reality that government frequently played a central role in the creation and maintenance of racial inequity. Government also helped to create an opportunity structure that gave birth to America’s large middle class, but did so in a way that entrenched racially inequitable outcomes. If government is to fulfill the expectation of an inclusive and effective democracy, we must support the growth of a revitalized middle class in an inclusive and equitable manner. Equity 2.0 or Targeted Universalism features universal goals which are explicitly identified for all peoples, coupled with targeted strategies for marginalized populations. It is not enough to focus on just limiting discrimination or even reducing specific disparities. We must support processes that affirmatively allow all groups to thrive in our economic system. Structures don’t just have to hold us back as communities; they also can enhance our quality of life and elevate the fate of those who have traditionally been marginalized. Because of histories, policies, and practices, we are not all situated equally within our existing social structures. We must transform the role of government to be fair, inclusive and responsive to all.
GARE focuses on normalizing conversations about race, operationalizing new behaviors and policies, and organizing to achieve racial equity. We are seeing more and more jurisdictions that are making this commitment, focusing on the power and influence of their own institutions, and working in partnership across sectors and with the community to maximize their impact. This important conversation sets the stage for the year-long program of jurisdictions working together across northern California to advance racial equity.
As a result of participating in the cohort, each jurisdiction will:
- Implement a racial equity training curriculum across departments using a set of skilled internal facilitators;
- Implement a Racial Equity Tool in policy, practice, program, and/or budget decisions;
- Identify and implement policies and practices that help advance racial equity; and
- Develop a Racial Equity Action Plan tailored to their experience.
We are excited about the growing movement of governments working to advance racial equity in California. When government makes a commitment to achieving racial equity, focuses on the power and influence of their own institutions, and works in partnership across sectors and with the community, we know racial equity is possible. Together we are building a national movement to transform government and advance racial equity.
For more information about the training series or to RSVP for the January 15 event, please contact Dwayne S. Marsh at dmarsh@thecsi.org.