Play 11 – Playbook for Morrisville

PLAY NUMBER ELEVEN: Community Conversations on Race and Equity.

My Message on Community Conversations on Race and Equity

My Play of the week is to have our Staff and Council review the NCLM Task Force Recommendations and to see where they fit in our Strategic Plan, particularly on our goal of promoting inclusive neighborhoods. One takeaway for me is that we have to start our own Barbershop Rap Sessions/Community Conversations where our citizens of diverse faiths, and ethnicities learn from each other and we can push ourselves to be the most inclusive community we can be.

One next step would be to host a different cultural exhibit in Town Hall every month or two, where our residents can come and learn about different cultures, perhaps a lecture, and a Forum for having healthy conversations, often with people, who do not look like or think like us.

Together, in Morrisville, we can build Bridges!

NCLM Racial and Equity Task Force Recommendations
This past year, I had the honor of serving on the North Carolina League of Municipalities Racial Equity Task Force. By leading with our collective values, the NCLM recognizes we must, first and foremost, understand our own history and role in supporting systemic racism and inequities to move forward in a real and robust way. In order to have future-forward, viable and thriving economies, cities and towns must center racial equity in policymaking to potentially overcome the intergenerational disparities that exists in local communities. ​

The report’s recommendations are:

• ​Cities and towns consider an examination of their own historical practices related to redlining and other policies that may have harmed minority homeownership rates, home values and wealth accumulation.
• Cities and towns, as they can afford to do so, provide incentives that encourage investment in historically redlined neighborhoods or others disadvantaged by past discriminatory policies.
• Cities and towns consider targeted approaches and strategies, such as Target Universalism, to address inequities created by past policies and decisions that have had and continue to have the effect of causing residents in those areas to suffer economically, educationally, socially and from a health standpoint.
• Cities and towns make investments in social infrastructure, like parks and libraries, in historically neglected or redlined neighborhoods, or those disadvantaged by less desirable targeted public facilities or geography.
• Cities and towns consider assessments of their policing that examine approaches to racial equity and a shared sense of community.
• Cities and towns create intentional spaces and forums for brave and courageous engagement about race, equity, justice and policing.
• Cities and towns work with the NCLM and state partners to better identify, utilize, and win the extensive grant awards available at the federal level that support better training and education for officers.
• Establish education and training opportunities for city and town officials to establish a shared and common understanding and language from which to have dialogue at the local level.

I look forward to continuing on serving on the Task Force and look forward to working with my colleagues to establish anti-racist policies for the Town of Morrisville.