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4 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY RACIAL EQUITY PLAN: PROGRESS REPORT <br /> INTRODUCTION <br /> Throughout the country more and more communities are committing to achieving racial equity. <br /> Many are seeking collaboration and technical assistance as they make plans to turn their <br /> commitments into actions. The Government Alliance in Race & Equity (GARE) is a national <br /> network of government agencies working to advance racial equity. Over the past decade, a <br /> growing field of practice has emerged based on lessons learned from practitioners, as well as <br /> academic experts and national technical assistance providers. GARE brings together <br /> governments throughout the country to provide racial equity training, racial equity tools, sharing <br /> best practices, peer-to-peer learning, and academic resources to help strengthen work across <br /> jurisdictions. GARE also has cohorts that provide intense training that focus on a body of practice, <br /> including, racial equity training curricula, racial equity tool, model policies, and infrastructure <br /> model tools. <br /> Since October 2019, Orange County, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill each have had a team of staff in a <br /> North Carolina GARE Learning Community Cohort to Advance Racial Equity. The North Carolina <br /> Learning Community is comprised of nine North Carolina local governments and one agency. This <br /> Learning Community, the first-ever in the South, has been an opportunity to build institutional <br /> capacity to advance racial equity within our local jurisdictions to dismantle systemic and <br /> institutional racism. <br /> WHAT IS "RACIAL EQUITY"? <br /> The Government Alliance on Racial & Equity defines racial equity as "when race can no longer be <br /> used to predict life outcomes and outcomes for all groups are improved." <br /> • The difference between racial equity and equality is that equity is about fairness, while <br /> equality is about sameness. <br /> • Equity cannot be achieved until everyone starts from a level playing field. <br /> • Across all indicators of success, racial inequities continue to be a factor (e.g., education, <br /> housing, criminal justice,jobs, public infrastructure, and health). <br /> Over the history of our country, government has created and maintained a hierarchy based on <br /> race, of who succeeds, fails, benefits, and burdened by the laws, policies, and practices. <br /> Inequities are sustained by historic legacies, structures, and systems that support these patterns <br /> of exclusion. To achieve racial equity, a fundamental transformation of government is necessary. <br /> In prior years, the government has focused on addressing the symptoms of racial inequity by: <br /> • Funding programs and services that have proven to be mostly ineffective at addressing <br /> underlying causes; and <br /> • Passing Civil Rights laws, which made racial discrimination illegal, but, after more than 50 <br /> years, racial inequity continues to exist. <br /> 1 <br />