Town of Chapel Hill, NC
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Our Mission:
The mission of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Office is to uncover and address implicit racial biases in our institutions and to ensure that race can no longer be used to predict life outcomes in our community.
Background:
June 2020: Adopted Resolution on Developing New Community Approaches to Improve Racial Equity and Public Safety in Chapel Hill, to improve racial equity and public safety in Chapel Hill.
September 2020: Council Reimagining Community Safety Task Force established concrete, actionable recommendations to increase public safety, eliminate structural inequities in Town public safety systems, and enable all in the community to thrive.
October 2020: Council appointed 13 members and 2 alternates to the Task Force, they held 16 meetings to carry out their charge.
June 2021: The Reimagining Community Safety Taskforce presented its 28 recommendations to the Council.
Servant Leadership Values:
EMPOWERMENT | Intentionally enabling community input and elevating historically marginalized voices in decision-making.
COURAGE | Unflinchingly addressing barriers to racial equity within our institution’s programs, policies, and practices.
FORESIGHT | Proactively leading with the lessons from the past, the realities of the present, and the likely consequence for the future
MUTUALITY | Deliberately leveling of power differences between government and community members
COLLABORATION I Strategically laboring together across and within departments for equitable outcomes for staff and community members.
Strategic Alignment:
The DEI department’s strategies address Affordable Housing, Vibrant & Inclusive Community and Safe Community, and Collaborative & Innovative Organization Strategic Goals of the Town of Chapel Hill.
Enhancing the experience of all town residents by creating opportunities for connection through programming and services and improving municipal access and influence. Improving employee satisfaction and building trust. Increasing innovation and creativity through including diverse perspectives, skills, and backgrounds in work groups, training cohorts, and teams.
Links:
Click here to access our Racial Equity Dashboard!
Title VI and Non-Discrimination Policies
DEI-related Resolutions and Ordinances
If you'd like more information or have questions, please contact: Shenekia Weeks, our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer, at sweeks@townofchapelhill.org or Kendall Rankin, our DEI Program Manager at krankin2@townofchapelhill.org.