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<br />In the 2019-20 budget, the Orange Board of Commissioners approved funds to support a team 1
<br />of Orange County staff to be a part of a GARE North Carolina Learning Community of 2
<br />government jurisdiction working to advance racial equity by addressing institution and structural 3
<br />racism. Each jurisdiction made a one-year commitment to the learning process. 4
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<br />Each jurisdiction received tools and resources, including: 6
<br /> A racial equity training curriculum, to equip cohort participants to implement the training 7
<br />with other employees; 8
<br /> A Racial Equity Tool to use in policy, practice, program and budget decisions; 9
<br /> Support to identify and launch pilot projects that demonstrate racial equity outcomes in 10
<br />your jurisdiction; 11
<br /> A capacity building plan and organizational structure to institutionalize equity within their 12
<br />jurisdiction; 13
<br /> Example policies and practices that helped advance racial equity; and 14
<br /> Support to develop a Racial Equity Action Plan 15
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<br />The Orange County team is comprised of fifteen diverse team members. Department Directors 17
<br />were asked either to self-select or to select a member of their staff for the team. If through that 18
<br />process the team was not filled, then co-leads selected county staff so that there was a diversity 19
<br />of members and skills and departments on the team. The members of the team are: Annette 20
<br />Moore, (Co-Lead), Human Rights and Relations, Nancy Coston, (Co-Lead), Social Services, 21
<br />Brenda Bartholomew, Human Resources, Melvyn Blackwell, Human Rights and Relations, Erica 22
<br />Bryant, Child Support Enforcement, Brennan Bouma, Asset Management Services, Diogenes 23
<br />DeLosSantos, Information Technology, Desmond Frierson, Criminal Justice Resource, Jennifer 24
<br />Galassi, Sherriff’s Office, Ashley Hager, Food Council/County Manager’s Office, Sarah 25
<br />Pickhardt, Emergency Services, Rachel Raper, Board of Elections, Juliet Sheridan, Health, 26
<br />Quintana Stewart, Health, Robert Williams, Solid Waste. 27
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<br />The One Orange GARE team developed a mission statement: One Orange is a commitment by 29
<br />Orange County leaders and staff to uncover and address implicit racial biases in our institution 30
<br />to ensure that race can no longer be used to predict life outcomes in our community. 31
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<br />GARE Training has been intense. Members of the team have not only had to attend training but 33
<br />also had meetings outside of the training, committee meetings, and additional homework. The 34
<br />pandemic has been an obstacle in getting both the training and the racial equity plan completed 35
<br />in September as we anticipated. 36
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<br />In May, with the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protest, awareness of the need for 38
<br />racial equity has grown exponentially around the Country. In June, the Health Director, Quintana 39
<br />Stewart, declared structural racism a health crisis in Orange County. The Board of County 40
<br />Commissioners also passed a resolution condemning the murder of George Floyd and 41
<br />committing to dismantling structural and institutional racism in Orange County government and 42
<br />throughout Orange County. The Board directed the Department of Human Rights and Relations 43
<br />to lead the One Orange Racial Equity Team in developing a Racial Equity Plan using the 44
<br />Government Alliance on Race and Equity Model to bring a first draft of the plan back to the 45
<br />Board in September 2020. 46
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<br />Although the pandemic has impacted the work of the GARE core team, it has also created an 48
<br />opportunity for us to reimagine how we move forward, advancing racial equity as a region. 49
<br />Instead of looking at racial equity from a jurisdictional position, we believe we should be looking 50
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