Brookhaven Social Justice, Race and Equity Commission presents recommendations to City Council
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
After yearlong effort, SJREC delivers wide ranging proposals to improve racial equity in community
Brookhaven, GA, Dec. 17, 2021 – The Brookhaven Social Justice, Race and Equity Commission (SJREC) presented its recommendations to the Brookhaven City Council at its regular meeting on Dec. 14 to expand efforts toward racial equity and social justice throughout the Brookhaven community and City government. The SJREC’s work will guide the City’s equity initiatives and planning, as well as ongoing programs and operations.
Formed in December 2020, the 37-member, all-volunteer, citizen-led SJREC was tasked by Brookhaven's Mayor and City Council to review and make recommendations regarding the City’s mission and vision statements; policies and procedures across hiring, procurement, and policing; and community engagement. According to Chair Tywana Minor, “The Commission was humbled and honored to serve and we are confident that the recommendations will make a meaningful difference for current and future residents of Brookhaven once voted upon, adopted and implemented.”
“The past year has been an incredible experience for the Commission members, and we want to thank the Brookhaven City Council and staff for their commitment to this very important initiative and, of course, the hundreds of citizens who joined us in this process,” Minor said. “We hope our work will elevate our wonderfully diverse and caring community to a new level of equity and belonging for generations to come.”
After spending a period studying the issues of race and equity and learning more about the history of Brookhaven and its demographics, the SJREC developed and executed a series of community engagement activities, including holding 41 Civic Dinner conversations, seven community “pop-up” events, and four council district discussions.
In a report titled “Building Community. Kindling Hope. Seeding Change.”, the SJREC submitted several overarching recommendations to the City Council, including embedding racial equity principles and practices in all Brookhaven departments and operations, including enterprise-level education and training of City staff, and the development of strategic goals and metrics to achieve and ensure equity.
Other recommendations include that the City 1) develop and implement policies and procedures to capture relevant equity and other personnel data for analysis to address trends and issues related to staff hiring and retention; 2) incorporate and embed racial equity principles and practices into all hiring and operations; 3) set a goal of awarding 33 percent of its procurement and contracting funds to minority-owned businesses; and 4) the Brookhaven Police Department capture and report policing data such that Hispanic data can be more easily compared to other races.
The Commission is also recommending a community-driven update of the Brookhaven mission and vision statements and periodic review of the Brookhaven City Charter every five years with an equity lens. To view the final report, visit www.BrookhavenGA.gov/SJREC.
The Council is expected to hold public hearings on the recommendations before voting on adoption of the recommendations in 2022.
###
Media Contact:
Ann Marie Quill
Communications Manager
404-205-3832
AnnMarie.Quill@BrookhavenGA.gov
